Mecha
by Kiwilisterine
Summary: Samantha Walsh has known since she was very young that her father was the famous Tony Stark and the product of a one night stand. Now that her mother is dead, Sam earns her living fighting robots, barely scraping by and living in the basement of her uncle's bar. Quite content with living under the radar, Sam is furious when she is forced into the Avenger's custody. (post CA:CW)
1. The Fighting Ring

A small wave of blue energy crept up my skin, making the hairs on my arm stand up straight. It tickled. Electricity never bothered me, in fact, I felt like it rejuvenated me. I guess that's what happens when you're a technopath, or at least that's the word I came up with to describe myself. I had always been like this, always able to control electronics with my mind. I could always see the small zeroes and ones scrolling through the air, the faint sound of radio waves when the radio was turned off. I could always feel the surge of electricity in the air, surrounding me like a warm embrace. I had always been a freak.

My mother hated that word. She had always said I was unique, different. But I knew what that really meant. It meant I would never be able to be myself, not really. I would always be hiding, pretending. I missed her. She was the only one I could truly share these things with, she was the only one who was ever really there for me. I had never met my father although I knew of him. The infamous Tony stark. I made a disgusted face at the sound of his name. My mother had told me that they met back in the day when she was in the modeling business. Some alcohol and a one night stand later, I was born. Of course, he never cared. She had sent him various emails after I was born, letting him know, but he never responded.

I hated the man. Always parading around on television like he was some sort of hero. He had destroyed my mother's life and now he was off destroying others. Thank God for the Sokovian Accords. Now he and the Avengers could be kept in check, unable to destroy more of the world's peace.

I fiddled with the joystick I had been welding, annoyed with the small amount of progress I had made. I had been too busy reminiscing, and reminiscing gets you nowhere. With a heavy sigh, I focused on the small metal parts in front of me, willing them to comply with my orders. Work god damnit! And so they did. The device began whirring in my hands, it's small motor buzzing faintly. I had promised Adam I wouldn't cheat anymore, that I would build things just like everyone else but where was the fun in that? Why have powers if you weren't going to use them?

Adam was a life saver. We had met two years ago at a technology convention. He was looking at the newest surgical instruments while I was looking at the self automated robots and we sort of just bumped into one another. He'd been my best friend ever since. We tell each other everything, he even knows what I am and he accepts me for it nonetheless. He was so smart and so charismatic, I couldn't help but fall for him. I would never let him know though, I didn't think I was his type.

Throwing the small square device in my brown messenger bag, I swept metal fragments from my work desk into a trash bin with my hand. A few hit the floor but I didn't care, the room was full of giant metal scraps anyways. Uncle Ben was always joking around about how messy I was but honestly, I thought the various metals suited the place. I lived underneath my uncle's biker bar in a basement converted into an apartment. Everything was modern and metal; the stairs, the railings, the floor, everything. I had welded most of it myself when I was 13, just after my mother died in a car crash. That's when my uncle took me in, and I'd been there ever since.

The buzzer to my apartment rang, signifying that it was almost 2 o' clock. Adam must be here. I slung my bag over my shoulder, moving my dark brown hair to the side and made my way up the stairs to the large dirty, metal door. Adam's smile greeted me as I heaved it open.

"Ready to kick the shit out of some scrap metal?", he asked. His smile was crooked and his curly brown hair almost covered his eyes. I had always thought he was rather handsome.

"You betcha!" I beamed back as I turned to lock the door behind me.

He handed me a small yellow thumb drive. "I hate yellow." I whined.

"Ignore the color." he said, "just read it."

I held the drive in the palm of my hand, focusing once more. My eyes narrowed as code whirred across my vision, uploading itself in my mind. I knew instantly almost everything that was on it, I could recall it in seconds if needed and I would never forget it. Except for one piece of information. A strange blip in the code. It read /Execute= mecha reprograming/. Weird, I thought, but it wasn't the first time I had seen strange words in code before. The rest of the drive contained various articles on Bryan Lee, our biggest competitor in the fights. He was a dick and I couldn't stand him but he could build one hell of a robot and I respected him for that.

"thanks for the info." I smiled. "You couldn't have just told me what you knew?"

"I get a kick out of watching you do your thing." He smiled back, "It's more fun that way."

We made our way through the dark bar, Adam spinning every leather studded stool he walked past. Moonlight filtered in through the front windows like spotlights, illuminating swirling specks of dust. The bar was closed on Sundays so it was just the two of us. I locked the front door to the bar and we made our way to Adam's car.

I settled in to my seat and Adam started the engine. We spent the entire drive talking about the new controllers I had made for our robot and about the upcoming fight. We were the undefeated grand champions of Robo-rama, a robot fighting tournament and we weren't about to lose to anyone tonight. Adam pulled into a dimly lit parking lot settled behind a maze of shipping containers. My nose recognized the scent of the nearby ocean as soon as we pulled up. I glanced at Adam, shadows contouring his strong jaw which was unusually tense, something seemed off.

"Everything alright?"

It took him a moment before he looked at me,shifting his brown eyes to look at my own. "Yeah, sorry. Just a little worried about the fight tonight. You know Bryan is going to come after us with all he's got. He was pretty pissed when Katscan sawed off Rayzor's head. He's suspicious of you too , ya know?" He put the car in park and turned to face me. "You need to be more careful. Normal people need joysticks to control their robots so keep your hand on the controller tonight, ok?"

"I'm sorry" I looked down at my hands. He was right. "I promise to be more careful this time, ok?"

Adam sighed, then flashed me his perfect white smile. "You really worry me sometimes Sam"

I unbuckled my seat-belt and reached for the door. "Gotta keep you on your toes somehow!"He chuckled and we both got out, walking towards the largest red container, located in the corner of the lot. It was shrouded in darkness, the street lamp nearest to it missing it's bulb. The door was half-way open and there were no lights inside to guide the way. I made out the shape of a man standing near the corner and assumed it was Cody, Robo-Rama's bouncer and lookout. Robot fighting wasn't exactly legal as it could be dangerous so Cody helped keep suspicious feds at bay. We made the hand signal, on ok sign but with our ring fingers instead our pointer fingers, and entered the gloomy red cube.

Fumbling through the dark, we found the narrow staircase leading down under the ground. Our feet clanked on the old metal steps, echoing throughout the room, the smell of oil and must greeting me as we reached another door. I felt the heat of machinery and warm bodies emanating through the rusty metal door and could hear the muffled thuds of electronic music. I felt Adam behind me, reaching for the knob, his other hand on my shoulder. The door opened and I was instantly greeted with neon lights and a rush of the hot air I had felt before. We stood on a landing overlooking the secret warehouse, watching the crowds of people below us. Some stood at the dinky looking bar, made out of two old saw tables and a cabinet full of booze. A small group of girls were dancing to the music nearby and everyone else was crowded around the cage which was located at the far end of the room. There was an unusual amount of people there tonight, a lot of business men wearing black suits which was good for me. More business men meant more bets, and more bets meant making more money which I desperately needed for my new project.

I noticed Bryan was already there, he was sitting in his corner tinkering on his small domed robot he liked to call Rayzor. He looked up as we entered through the door, glaring at us. His haircut screamed I work in IT and his blue polo shirt was covered in grease stains. I was surprised he wasn't trying to use his tide stick on it yet. I looked over my shoulder at Adam, he rolled his eyes and poked me in the shoulder, prodding me to move forward. We made our way down the final set of stairs, Adam heading towards the cage and I heading towards the bar to get my pre-victory drink. The bartender slid a small glass full of amber liquid my way. I swirled it around, letting the alcohol's scent burn my nose and let it slide down my throat in one quick motion. My insides were now warm and fuzzy as I felt the hot liquid make it's way to my stomach.

Any nervousness that I had quickly disappeared and I glanced back at our corner of the cage. Adam was already setting up our controllers and pulled a giant blue tarp off of Katscan, my pride and joy. It was a tall humanoid looking robot, painted blue with cat ears and razor sharp claws protruding from it's hands. It had rotating saws as teeth for it's mouth, giving it's blank face a strange and unsettling grin. It was perfect and completely up to Robo-rama standards. No guns allowed, just brutal blades and saws.

I was suddenly caught off guard, something just seemed off. I could make out words in the air. They sounded almost like two-way radio conversations. It was hard to hear with the heavy music playing but my ears could pick up bits and pieces of the chatter. "She's here." "No, wait for my commands" "Adam." "signal."

I slammed my glass on the counter in anger. I knew I was picking up on someone's ear piece. It must be Bryan. It wasn't the first time he'd had someone spying on Adam and me. He must have someone watching us from our side of the ring. My shoulders tensed and my teeth ground together. I clenched my fists and stalked towards Adam, leaving my liquid courage on the counter behind me.

Adam was just finishing up rolling Katscan into the cage when I approached him from behind. I knew he would be just as furious as I was but I needed him to do the talking with Bryan. I didn't trust myself not to punch him.

"We have company." I growled.

Adams head jerked towards me. His eyes widened a bit and then narrowed in annoyance as he spun around to face me. "I told them not to use ear pieces." he muttered angrily under his breath. His brows furrowed and he looked me dead in the eye as his hand slid into his coat pocket. "I didn't want it to go like this."

Without warning, he drew a gun from his pocket and pointed the barrel straight at me. I was frozen in place. What in the hell was going on? His stance let me know that this wasn't the first gun Adam had held, he knew what he was doing. It was strange considering Adam was a pacifist who didn't believe in violence, or at least that's what he had told me.

"Adam? What on Earth are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Sam." He looked upset, there were tears in his eyes. His voice quavered and he was now shaking. "I had to tell them. I know you're building an iron man suit, I saw the plans on your desk. I can't let you do it. You're officially under arrest. Please come quietly or we'll have to use force."


	2. Betrayal

"We?" I began to ask but my question was soon answered. The business men I had seen earlier now swarmed me, their guns drawn and pointed straight at me.

"What are you doing? You don't actually plan on shooting me do you, Adam?"

He smiled. "No, I don't want to shoot you. Not unless you come with us."

"Who's us?" I asked. "Who are you working for?" I turned to stare at the men in their suits, they wore no insignia that represented their organization. They said nothing, they simply stared down their barrels at me.

"The United States Government and," he paused, "The Avengers."

"You didn't" I whispered. "You wouldn't do that to me." Tears stung my eyes. I was so angry. He wouldn't really do that to me, would he? He knew how I felt about the Avengers, how I felt about my father, that I would rather die than face him.

"I did." He stated matter of fact.

I felt a pang in my chest. If hearts could break, mine was breaking right now. My breath quickened and my ears rang. I could hear it clearly now, the full conversation going on behind the ear pieces. and then music. ACDC came pouring through, the music ringing inside my head. I heard a familiar voice say "I'm here, do you have her in custody yet?"

Adam looked at me, guilt in his eyes. He seemed sad. One of the men answered the familiar voice, "Not yet."

"Ok, I'm coming in." The voice said. But I wasn't going to allow that to happen. Not tonight, not ever. It was time for me to leave. If I had to fight to get out of here then I would. I would have to fight Adam. Could I do it?

"Are you going to come with me?" asked Adam. He held out his right hand, waiting for me to take it. He seemed to actually believe that I would. As if, I thought.

"Never."

His hand came back to the gun and he pulled the trigger, now aimed at my legs. I squeezed my eyes shut, reaching for the gears with my mind, willing them to jam. There was a clicking sound and then nothing. Adam looked down at the gun in his hand, then back to me. "Don't do this Sam."

"Too late. Did you actually think I'd let you shoot me?"

I heard more clicks. The rest of the guns jammed as well. The men looked around in disbelief. A few whacked their guns against their hands trying to set the bullets free but nothing happened. The rest of the crowd had dispersed by now, escaping to the outside world. I saw men guarding the exits.

My mind reached for Katscan. It's lights slowly blinked on, one by one. The mechanical creature's gears began to clink and whir, it's head spun to face me. I moved it's arms, then it legs. Adam caught sight of the movement and turned to point his gun at Katscan instead. He fired two shots that bounced off the blue metal, loud clanging sounds erupting in the air. It was too much, I couldn't control Katscan and his gun. The robot lurched forward towards the men, stepping out of the ring, it's saws churning in it's grotesque mouth. They aimed at my robot now instead of me, taking turns emptying their rounds onto it in vain, Katscan deflecting their bullets.

I used this distraction to punch Adam, his face flying to the side as I knocked my hard fist against it. He took a step back, recoiling for a second, then turned and swung at me. I barely managed to duck out of the way when I was struck by another blow. His leg pounded into my side, throwing me to the ground. He aimed his gun back at me, his finger resting on the trigger, waiting to pull it at any second.

We were interrupted by someone coming through the door. A man in a red iron suit stepped through. Unmasked, I could see his face. He looked at the robot and then to me. He seemed puzzled. He had no idea who I was but I knew him. I hated him.

His brown eyes seemed quizical and intrigued. He held up one of his hands, a bright white light emanating from a small circle in the middle of his palm. "Drop the guns boys. Are you Samantha Walsh?"

I said nothing. I simply glared in his direction. I hated his brown eyes that looked so much like my own, I hated that stupid well groomed goatee. He wasn't worth speaking to.

"We're not here to fight. We're here to keep you safe." He lowered his hand and took a step forward. Fuck this. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Not if it meant being locked up with him. While Adam was focused on Iron man, I raised my foot and kicked him square in the nose. I heard a snap and blood began to rush down his face. I almost felt sorry. Almost.

Adam crashed to the floor and I scrambled for his gun. I got it before he could reach me, a proud smile plastered on my face as I saw his confidence falter. I aimed it directly at Iron man and shot as I walked backwards towards Katscan. The bullets simply bounced off the iron plates of his armor and he lowered his mask over his face. "Okay," he said, "Now I'm getting a little ticked off. Lower your gun little girl, let the big guys handle this." I ducked behind my blue machine and willed it forward. Little girl, huh. I'd show him how little I was.

Katscan ran towards Iron man with me close behind it, it's claws reaching for the red armor. They screeched as they ran along the metal. He moved out of the way before they could pierce but they left long scratches across his chest. He fired a pulse of energy from his hand, blinding me for a moment, impacting Katscan's right arm. It blew to pieces, wires now hanging from my precious robot's body where it's arm was previously.

Adam was now standing behind me, a new gun in his hand. One of the men must have handed him a new one when I wasn't looking. He looked like he was in pain, I knew I had kicked him pretty hard, his nose was definitely broken. I aimed my gun at him while Katscan was keeping Iron man preoccupied but I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger. It looked like Adam couldn't do it either. He stood and simply watched the altercation between my robot and my father. I lowered my gun focusing once again on the fight in front of me, taking a few more shots at Tony instead.

Iron man fired another pulse but this time I was able to get Katscan to dodge. In one giant leap, Katscan was now directly in front of iron man, it's claws pressed against his chest plate which was now beginning to cave in from the force, it's saw teeth rotating and coming ever closer to his helmet. One of his arms was holding onto Katscan's arm. He raised the other to shoot into the robot's mouth but nothing happened.

I closed my eyes. I had finally calmed my mind enough to enter his suit's programming. I could hear Friday speaking to him, "Sir, my system has been overridden, our power is shutting down." This was it, this was my chance! Let's see how strong Iron man is without his fancy metal suit, I thought to myself.

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my thigh. Then the throbbing began and I fell to my knees, unable to move. I was barely able to move my head to look down at myself, a small dart sticking out from my sensitive skin. My vision began to blur, my head racing in circles. Adam was now walking towards me. He had tranquilized me while I wasn't paying attention. How could he?

"I told you I didn't want to shoot you." He said quietly. He picked up my body and slung me over his shoulders. I saw Katscan crumpled on the ground. Tony's mask now removed, I could see his shocked and angered face. Adam began making his way to the stairs, the other men surrounding us in a tight circle. I could no longer move my head. I was dizzy and barely able to make out the shape of red as we passed by my long lost father. Then everything went black.


	3. The Bracelet

*** Hey everyone and thank you for all your kind reviews, I'm glad you like the story so far! My goal is to post a new chapter every week :) ***

I woke up strapped to a metal chair, the iron bars cold against my skin and pressing me against the chair so I could not break free. I searched the room frantically. There was nothing but mirrors on the walls and it was completely empty. I was the only one in the room. I could practically hear my thoughts echoing off the bare walls. I struggled for a moment, trying to wriggle my wrists free but to no avail. That's when I noticed it, a strange metal bracelet attached to my wrist. It had 3 green lights covering the top half, blinking every once in a while. It was definitely electronic and super uncomfortable.

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate on the bracelet. If I could get into it's system perhaps it would unlock. But nothing happened. I could no longer feel the electricity. I could no longer see the code. Something was wrong. I was so focused on the bracelet that I almost didn't hear the door open. Suddenly all three lights went red and I felt a stinging in my hand. I grimaced as I felt cold liquid being released into my bloodstream.

"Do you like it?" Adam asked.

I turned to glare at him. "It's a special bracelet," he said, "It injects you with a special neuro blocking serum every hour on the hour. You won't be able to control anything with it on."

He knelt next to the chair, smiling up at me from his crouched position on the floor. "How does it feel? I hope it doesn't sting too much." He placed his hand on mine, stroking his thumb across metal bracelet. He avoided looking me in the eyes "I didn't want to do this to you but you gave me no choice." He sighed and stared down at his hands. When would he stop feeling so sorry for me? I wasn't some sad puppy abandoned on the side of the road. I had been his friend, I had loved him and he betrayed me.

"How long were you planning this?" I asked. My stare was cold. He removed his hand from mine and stood up once more, pacing in a circle around me.

"I wasn't planning on turning you in until 2 weeks ago when I noticed the technical plans on your desk."

"No." I spat angrily. "How long have you been lying to me? How long have you been working for them?"

"You remember the day we first met, at the technology convention?"

"I do." I answered. Could he really have been spying on me for all that time?

"I had been watching you for a week before I finally decided to make contact." Tears welled in my eyes and I could feel stomach drop. Of course he had been lying to me all this time.

"Please don't be upset with me. I never expected us to become such great friends. I know it started as a lie but it definitely didn't end as one. You know I care about you." he pleaded now stopping in front of me, his warm brown eyes looking down at me.

A million thoughts were racing through my head but I couldn't find the strength to speak. I went to open my mouth but shut it quickly. What on Earth could I say to convey all of the hurt I was now feeling? How could I face the man I loved when it had all been a lie? I couldn't look him in the eyes any longer. I wanted to melt into nothing and vanish, never to be seen again. I wanted to curl into a ball and bawl my eyes out but no, I would never let him see me cry. I couldn't let him see how much he had hurt me. I took a deep breath and collected myself, sat up straight and stared him dead in his beautiful eyes.

"I'm worried about you, Sam." He said quietly. He was kneeling once more and placed his perfectly soft hands on top of my rough, calloused ones. "I'm concerned for the safety of you and others. You don't even know how to fully control your powers. You don't even realize the full extent of them yet. What if someone got hurt? How would you live with yourself then?"

"You have a funny way of showing concern" I quipped but his words had hit me like a ton of bricks. My intention was never to hurt anyone. I had only been building the iron man suit for protection, for peace of mind. For nights like last night. Was he right? Was I really a danger to everyone?

We sat there in silence for a few moments. My stare never wavered and I had finally beat back the tears. He looked defeated, like a man who had lost everything. Good, I thought to myself, because he had lost me. I didn't think I could ever forgive him for what he'd done, especially now that he had dragged my father into it. Finally, he let go of my hands and stood up.

"Tony wants a DNA test, I told him I'd administer it." he said and before I could interject he pulled an empty syringe out of his pocket and slid it into my veins. The sharp piching of my skin made me cringe. Of course he wanted a paternity test, the great Tony Stark didn't make mistakes and that was all I'd ever be to him, a mistake. I clenched my fists, blood spilling from the tiny hole Adam had just put into my hand. He plopped a bandaid on it and walked out silently. Good Riddance.

I sat in that cold metal chair for what seemed like hours. I passed the time by counting the tiles on the ceiling. There were 82. I counted them again and again until I began to feel drowsy. My eyes struggled to stay open, fluttering closed from time to time before I opened them in defiance. I would not sleep here. I wouldn't let them win.

It had been so silent for so long that I was startled when the door finally opened. A short man with thinning hair walked in. I had never seen him before. He was wearing a black suit and a scowl on his face.

"Samantha Walsh." He said abruptly.

"Sam." I interrupted.

"Sam." His back straightened. "You are officially under the protection of the United States government and Avengers Initiative. Currently you are not under arrest thanks to your father who has been pulling a few strings to keep you here and not in a cozy little prison cell." He chuckled at himself, seeming very amused with the thought of me being in locked in a cell. "I'm the director of operations. I have just a few questions I would like to ask you."

"Shoot"

"Are you or have you ever had any intention of building an iron man-like suit?"

"No." I lied. The director paused and narrowed his eyes at me. He licked his lips and began again.

"Is it true that you can control electronics with your thoughts? My men reported that you were able to control a robot with no controller"

"My robot has artificial intelligence, it doesn't need a controller." I lied again. The mans face began to turn red, I could tell he was losing his patience. He looked down and twiddled his thumbs for a moment, sighed, and then looked back at me.

"Then you understand we will need to run a few medical tests tomorrow, just to cover our bases?" He gave a curt smile.

I was in deep shit. There was no talking my way out of this one but I wasn't about to admit everything to a complete stranger. Not if it meant I would be under the protection of my pretentious father.

"I understand." I also gave an insincere smile. Two could play this game.

"Then until we meet again tomorrow." He nodded his head and left the room. I could tell there were others in the hall, probably watching me through the mirrors. I couldn't let my facade of confidence falter for a moment or they would know. I knew how this worked. Whether I talked or not, I was now a human guinea pig. Thanks Adam.

I huffed and readjusted myself in my chair, my back was beginning to hurt and my eyes must have been red and swollen because I could feel them beginning to itch. Sleep deprivation will do that to you. I was annoyed when the door opened once again.

I had expected to see Adam in his crisp white button down shirt and lanky black slacks but instead I saw the last man I wanted to see, my father. He strode in like he owned the place. He was wearing a black on black suit. He had his hands in his pockets and walked to the far corner of the room. Something clicked in his pocket when he finally looked up at me.

"Listen, we only have a minute before they realize how to fix the cameras." He held his finger in the air as he pulled out a large satellite phone from his pocket. He turned it on, faced away from me, and held it up to his ear.

"Steve?" I heard him ask. "We have a situation." He paused, turning back to look at me. "I need out and I have someone I need to take with me. Yeah, uh-huh, tomorrow at 7." He flipped the phone shut and smiled at me. "I'm getting you out of here kid." He sounded cheerful, like he was proud of himself.

"I don't need your help" I muttered under my breath. "I can get out of this on my own." I glared at him.

"I'm sure you could." He replied. "But this is as much for me as it is for you." He winked at me and then waltzed out of the room. He stopped at the door before exiting, "Tomorrow at 7." He reminded and then left.

Great, I thought, I'm about to be rescued by a bunch of super powered criminals but then again who was I to talk. I was, after all, now a criminal myself.


	4. Reunion

7 a.m. couldn't come fast enough. Not having a clock, it was hard to ascertain how much time had passed. I could only hope that 7 was soon approaching. Adam had come and gone a few times, asking if I needed anything to eat or drink. I gave him the cold shoulder every time. I simply had nothing to say to him. What could I say?

I looked down at my new shiny bracelet. I hated it. How long had he been designing this? He certainly didn't create it in one night, that's for sure. Every hour it painfully reminded me of it's presence. The lights would slowly go out one by one and then flash a bright crimson, injecting me once more with Adam's special neuro serum.

It bothered me to a great extent that I couldn't break free, that I couldn't hack any systems or make any weapons malfunction. I was powerless, something I wasn't used to. I tapped my fingers incessantly against my restraints, hoping and wishing that they would just fall off. My wrists were beginning to go numb from the lack of movement and I had begun to go stir crazy. Just sitting there was boring and the thought of my rescue mission was making me apprehensive.

Why was Tony going through all this trouble to get me out of here when he was the one who brought me here in the first place? Why had he contacted Steve? Last I had heard on the news, Steve Rogers had been labeled a dangerous vigilante after not signing the Sokovian Accords and going against military orders.

I heard a banging outside my door, then the muffled sound of groans and yelling. This must be it. I sat up straight in my chair, wondering who would be coming through. I was disappointed when I saw Adam walk through the door. He looked tense, his eyes wide and his hands raised above his head. He tentatively stepped across the threshold and that's when I saw her, a young woman with short, wavy red hair. She was holding a gun to his head. Following after her was a rugged looking man with a metal arm.

"Are you Samantha?" the woman asked? She kept her eyes on Adam the entire time, not once letting him out of her sight.

"Sam." I corrected. Only my mother called me Samantha.

"I'm Romanoff and this is Bucky. We're here to take you with us." She smiled.

"Don't do this Sam. You'll be branded a criminal!" shouted Adam but it was too late. The rugged man was now at my side ripping my metal restraints from the chair, freeing me from my imprisonment. The pieces of iron clanged on the floor as they were torn off one by one. Soon they were all gone. He offered me his non-metal hand and I took it. I'm glad I did because my legs were so wobbly from inactivity that I almost fell over. "Thanks." I murmured as we began walking towards the door.

"Get in the corner." ordered Romanoff. I had seen her on the news before when she had signed the Accords. I turned back to watch them as she shoved Adam into the corner of the room, her gun still trained on him. Adam simply stood there, making no attempt at escape. He looked between me and Black Widow, his hands still raised in the air. His face was pale and I could see sweat beading on his forehead. He kneeled.

"Don't kill him!" I pleaded. I surprised myself at my sudden generosity. I had so quickly grown to hate Adam that I had began to forget that I still loved him. I couldn't be in a world where he didn't exist. It just didn't feel right.

Romanoff looked back at me and then to Adam. She lowered her gun slightly. Bang! I recoiled at the sound of the gunshot, my ears ringing from the sudden noise. I let go of the man's hand and rushed forward only to see Adam on the ground, clutching at his leg. Blood spilling on to the floor. Thank God! She had only maimed him. He looked up at me, anger in his eyes, his hand was gripping his wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Time stopped for a moment and it was just Adam and I, our eyes silently communicating. "Don't go!" His said. "I'm sorry." said mine.

My trance was broken when I felt my arm being tugged in the direction of the door. The man with the metal arm had grabbed a hold of me and was now pulling me through the exit, Black Widow covering us from behind. I was shoved against the wall alongside him as she stepped forward and peered around the corner. She fired a few rounds of her gun before running out into the hallway. I tried to peak around but I was forcefully pulled back. Bucky turned me to face him, his fierce blue eyes penetrating my soul as he placed both hands on my shoulders. "Stay here." He ordered. And with that he took off around the corner, following after Black Widow.

I couldn't help but peek around the corner, a bullet whizzed past my face. I jumped back then peeked around once more. I saw Romanoff jump over a small group of men and began throwing punches and gravity defying kicks. In seconds they were laying motionless on the ground. Bucky was now following her towards a locked mechanical door. He tried breaking the keypad next to it on the wall with his fist but the door still wouldn't budge. Smoke rose from the now destroyed keypad, causing the fire alarms to go off. He began to punch the door with his silver arm. It slowly began to concave but the metal simply stretched with each blow. We were going no where.

"Mind if I help?" I asked from around the corner. Bucky stopped abruptly, stared at me for a few seconds through his long brown hair then motioned me towards the door. Black Widow stood guard, guns at the ready and aimed towards the dented metal for when it opened. I quickly made my way, stepping over the unconscious bodies with care. I was done being useless. Time to do what I did best, some good 'ole fashioned hot-wiring. I smiled to myself as I tore the busted metal case off the wall and looked at the wires underneath it. I fiddled with them, rerouting them to different places, splicing them with different cables, until finally the door clicked then slid open. Romanoff let off a single shot before taking her finger off the trigger.

"Hey watch where you're shooting" came Tony's voice. He stepped through the threshold in his shiny red suit. A handsome young man with blonde hair stepped in after him. They stood there at the entrance for a moment, catching their breath when finally Tony turned to the other man. "Good to see you again Cap." The blonde man smiled and shook my father's hand. "You too Tony, you too."

Tony's eyes scanned the room. I couldn't help but notice the way his face changed when he came to look at Bucky. His eyes widened then narrowed, one side of his lips curling in anger. He said nothing however much it seemed to bother him. He avoided looking at me altogether.

"You must be Samantha." said the blonde man who was now taking a few steps toward me. "I'm Steve." He reached out his hand and I shook it. "Sam." I said. "Nice to meet you."

Tony stood leaned against the wall, throwing a small device up and down in the air, completely ignoring everyone else until our exchange as over. He looked up and noticed everyone watching him. "Oh. Are we done with introductions now?" He said snarkily.

"He's right." said Steve, "It's time to get going."

We all made our way into the next hallway, Tony strolling behind me. Bucky had joined up with Steve who was at the front of the group. I felt so powerless surrounded by all these strong people. I looked down at my bracelet. Stupid thing. I could be so much more helpful if I could get it off but there wasn't any time to stop and do so. The lights went red and I was injected. I winced and held my hand with my other, the serum made me a little nauseous, causing me to stumble slightly. I was caught by my father's red iron arm. He said nothing and he looked straight ahead, never once meeting my eyes. I wretched my arm away from his and continued to walk on my own. I didn't need his help, he had helped enough already. I glanced to my side to see Romanoff watching the whole ordeal. She caught my eye and quickly turned away, pretending to inspect her guns.

Captain America stopped at a corner, the rest of us coming to a halt behind him. He held one of his hands up in some sort of signal, pausing for a moment, then turned the corner. I could hear gun shots and yelling. I also feel a slight breeze coming from the next room. We must be close to the jet hanger, I thought. The rest of the team ran after him. I was about to join them as well when I was grabbed once more by my father, his grip tighter and more powerful this time. I tried to wrestle free of his grip but it was useless, he was stronger than me. I glared at him.

"Uh-uh. We're staying back" He said curtly. His helmet was now down and I could no longer tell if he was looking at me or not.

"Just give me a gun!" I yelled but he ignored me. I was damn tired of this damsel in distress thing. I knew how to use a gun. I could kick some ass as well if it weren't for my father and this dumb device attached to my wrist. I listened to the chaos taking place in the next room. I heard bangs followed by a series of gunshots, a clatter of metal, some yelling, then silence.

I was then dragged into the room. My arm was beginning to ache from his tight restraint. I had been correct, it was the hanger. Bodies were strewn about, some dangling from the myriad of jets parked in the tall warehouse, some lying on the ground still clutching their guns. Black Widow was brushing the dust off her skin tight suit, Steve was examining his patriotic shield and Bucky was standing next to a man with mechanical wings. They looked up, watching as my father dragged me across the hanger towards the outside portion, where a large black jet was waiting. My face felt hot as I tried to hold back my uncontrollable rage. I felt so humiliated, being bossed around by my absentee father who hadn't even known I existed until yesterday. How dare he think he knew what was best for me. How dare he tell me what to do.

I was thrust into a seat, Tony then sitting opposite me. His mask came down and he simply stared at me with his dark brown eyes, his lips were pressed tightly into a thin line and sweat had drenched his hair. I buckled my seat belt, glancing down once more at my encaptured wrist. I was getting this thing off of me as soon as we landed. And then, I smirked to myself, I would be leaving. Bye bye Avengers.

The rest of the team boarded the jet. They looked tired and worn. Steve and Romanoff headed towards the front and the rest sat with Tony and I. We flew for hours in absolute silence.


	5. Arguments and Whiskey

**Warning. This chapter contains alcohol abuse. Please read at your own discretion.**

 **...**

The plane ride was long and awkward. I could hear Romanoff and Steve talking among themselves over in the pilot seats. Bucky was pretending to nap. Finally the man in the mechanical bird suit broke the silence.

"Soooooo. Are you two really related then?" He looked back and forth between my father and I.

I stared up from my bracelet which I had been fidgeting with. "Unfortunately." I remarked. Tony huffed. He looked up from the phone he was playing on, narrowed his eyes at me, and then returned his attention to the device in his hands. He licked his lips before speaking.

"Yes, unfortunately." Tony said in a mocking tone. "You know you've had quite the chip on your shoulder since your little robot fight, kid. Speaking of which, why exactly did you attack me?"

I sighed in exasperation. "I don't like you. I thought you'd have figured that out by now." Tony looked back up. We were now in the midst of an intense stare down, neither of us looking away this time. I spotted a tiny vein rise on his forehead and my teeth began to clench.

"Do all children talk to their parents like this?" He asked sitting back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. He seemed rather amused with himself.

"Are you fucking serious right now?" I hissed while leaning forward in my seat. I jabbed my finger out at him. "You are not and never will be my father." I was trying my hardest to keep my voice down, this wasn't exactly the argument I wanted to have with everyone else around. In fact, I hadn't been planning on talking to him much at all but it all seemed to come pouring out.

"As much as I'd like that, that's not what the test said. How old are you anyways?"

"Why do you want to know? Trying to narrow down the women you've slept with?" I spat.

"Possibly."

"Her name was Sarah. You told her you loved her, fucked her and left her."

"Funny." he said, "I don't ever remember saying I loved her."

"Fuck you!" I shouted. I nearly jumped out of my seat in rage, my fists clenched and raised, ready to fight. How dare he say such a thing about my mother. Everything became silent. Bucky, who had been trying to sleep, suddenly opened his eyes and looked over in concern then scowled at Tony. The man who had initiated the conversation sat back, his eyes wide in shock. Bet he didn't expect this sort of conversation, I thought. Romanoff then appeared from behind the divider.

"Tony, we could use you up front." She said quietly. She looked over at me and gave a sympathetic smile.

"Gladly." mumbled Tony, getting up suddenly from his chair and marching towards the front of the jet. The man in the bird suit let out a low whistle.

"Whew!" He exhaled. "Sorry about that. Let's change subjects, I'm Sam." He said awkwardly, tentatively holding out his hand for me to shake. He was a dark skinned man with goggles resting on the top of his head. He smiled apologetically at me as I took his hand in my own.

"Also Sam." I smiled weakly. I was still in a bad mood. Was I really going to be stuck with that pompous narcissistic man? I couldn't stand to be with him for another second.

Sam leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms behind his neck before closing his eyes. Bucky was still watching intently, his brooding face viewing me from the side. He said nothing and neither did I. I wasn't sure what to think of him. The rest of the Avengers seemed so friendly and yet he was so distant, so cold. I glanced up at his stormy eyes for a moment before turning back to my arm and tapping on the bracelet in annoyance.

"We're here!" I heard Steve call from the pilots seat.

I looked out the window and saw a large concrete compound hidden among trees. It looked cold and menacing as we quickly approached it, preparing to land. I sat up in my chair, anticipating the moment I could finally be out of this damn plane and away from my father. I began to unbuckle my seat belt as soon as we landed but I was stopped momentarily by Bucky who placed his metal arm on mine.

"Don't get any ideas." He warned. It was the first time he had said anything to me. In fact it was the first time he had said anything at all in my presence. I was a bit taken aback by his finally speaking that I simply sat back into my chair. He finally removed his arm from mine and stood up, blocking the exit. I finished removing my seat belt and stood waiting for the others to join us. Steve came walking down the aisle, smiling at me and Bucky. My father still sat in the pilot's area with Romanoff.

"I'll give you the grand tour." beamed Steve.

We exited the aircraft as a group, Steve leading, Bucky and Sam following close behind me. I had half a mind to run but decided against it. Where would I go? It's not like I could make it very far with these super humans hot on my trail, especially not with this damn bracelet on. I needed a plan first.

I looked behind me to see Tony and Romanoff finally stepping out of the jet. They followed at a distance behind us. We walked up to the looming building, it's hard edges and defining shapes made it very modern and pleasant to look at. It would also be my prison.

Steve opened the huge mechanical doors by placing his finger on a bio-metric reader, the latest technology no doubt supplied by my father. Bucky gave me a gentle push when I stopped to look for too long. I couldn't help it. This place was huge! We had made our way into a giant atrium that looked up onto dozens of balconies, all crisp white and metal. We continued walking until we got to the elevator. The four of us piled in and Steve pressed the number 4. The ride was short and we finally made our way into a large room full of couches. There was a fully stocked bar in the corner and I could see a multitude of doors along an adjacent hallway.

"This is the common area." said Steve, waltzing into the room. "It's where you'll be staying for the time being."

I followed Steve down the hallway to the fifth door on the right. "And here's your room." He opened the door for me to look into. It was a decent size with a king bed smack dab in the middle of the room. It had it's own bathroom and a huge window looking out onto the forest. It was very different than the locations I was used to sleeping in with no scrap metal piled on the floor and no rust covering the walls. It was all very pristine and white.

"Thanks." I said. "But I don't plan on staying. If you'll just loan me some tools I'll take this bracelet off and be out of your hair." I smiled sweetly but when I turned to face Steve I came face to face with my father instead.

"Actually you won't be leaving. You'll be confined to the fourth floor for however long we deem necessary." His voice was stern and his chin was lifted high. He looked down at me, cold and callously.

"And why can't I leave? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, I've been doing it since I was 13, not that it matters to you."

"Oh, is that when you ran away from home during your moody teenage years?" He quipped.

"That's when she died asshole." His grin faded and he paused for a moment, searching for something to say. "Samantha, I didn't know..." I had had enough. I pushed past him and made my way to the bar I had seen earlier, tears threatening to spring forth if I didn't find a way to numb my emotions and I knew exactly what would. A good stiff drink, maybe three. Nobody said I'd have to be sober while interacting with these people.

Everyone else had dispersed during our little conversation and I saw no one as I approached the bar. The glass and metal shelves behind the counter were covered in hundreds of bottles, tequila, rum, vodka, anything you could think of, it was there. This was my kind of place. I ran my fingers along the smooth crystal surfaces until I found a bottle of whiskey and plucked it off the shelf. I thought about finding some glasses but decided to forgo them. Screw glasses, tonight was a drinking from the bottle kind of night. It was something I did from time to time when the memories of my mother crept up on me, pushing me into a pit of despair. I took a swig and sat down on the leather stool, happy to have no company. I could see Tony watching me from the hallway out of the corner of my eyes. I ignored him, hoping he would go away and eventually, after moments of silence, he did.

I sat there for a while, sipping from the bottle, my throat stinging from the burning liquor. The inside of my belly felt nice and hot and soon all my worries and anger faded. I was startled when someone sat in the stool next to me. With the bottle still pressed to my mouth, I turned to find Steve looking at me with a face of disapproval.

"Don't let him get to you Sam." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I've known Tony for many years and I can tell you that he really does care. He just," he paused, "He just has a funny way of showing it."

"Sure." I said "A hilarious way of showing it." I chuckled under my breath and took another swig.

The captain frowned, glancing between me and my bottle of booze. He looked defeated. "Good night, Sam." was all he said before walking towards the hallway and disappearing into one of the rooms.

"Good night" I slurred.


	6. The Voice

**Hey everyone, thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story!**

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 **...**

I woke up the next morning, the light pouring through the window, blinding my eyes and my head was beginning to throb. I could barely remember making it back to my room but somehow I had. I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, catching a glance of myself in the mirror. My long brown hair was a tangled mess and I had dark circles under my eyes. I looked down to see that I was still wearing the same band t-shirt and holey jeans I had worn to Roborama. I looked like a hot mess. I yawned and ran my fingers through my ratted hair. Time for a well deserved shower.

The hot water felt like heaven pounding on my back. I hummed to myself as I scrubbed away all the dirt and grime. I felt, even if just for a moment, like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. It was a glorious feeling.

When I was finally finished, I wrapped a clean white towel around my body and headed towards the dresser. I found a variety of clothes inside that were all the correct size. Romanoff must have done her research before coming to rescue me. I picked out some skin tight black jeans and a white tank top. Not quite my taste in fashion, I preferred my oversized band t-shirts, but it would work for the few hours I was actually planning on staying here in this compound. Operation get the hell out of here was now in full effect.

I leaned my head out of my door first, listening for any sign of company. I heard voices coming from the common area. Damn! I was hoping they'd have left me alone. I took in a deep breath, closed my door and walked around the corner of the hallway to see Sam and Steve sitting on one of the many plush couches. They looked up at me as soon as I entered the room.

"Damn, you clean up nicely." greeted Sam as he stood. His smile was absolutely contagious and I couldn't help but smile back at him as he motioned for me to sit.

I took a seat next to him and looked at Steve who was seated on the couch opposite of us. He sat up straight, with his hands folded in his lap. He was wearing sweat pants and a long sleeved gray shirt that clung to his muscular body. He gave me a quick smile.

"Morning Sam." he said

"Morning boys." I said as I made myself comfortable. "Listen, Steve, about last night. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

His mood seemed to lighten a bit when I said this and he leaned forward, placing his hand on mine. "Don't worry about it. I know last night was rough for you." he said before leaning back in his seat.

"We were just talking about Tony," said Sam, "Steve had been wondering when he would finally pick up that phone and call. Stubborn guy your father is. We haven't seen each other in 3 years when all of a sudden he calls and says he needs out. I guess we have you to thank for that."

"You're welcome, I guess?" I chuckled a little. I knew they split up after the accords were signed but something must have happened after then that had made my father ignore Steve and I wanted to know what it was. I hated to admit it but I was curious.

"What exactly happened?" I asked. "You disagreed with the Accords, that much I know from watching television. But why did he shut you out? I just don't get it."

Steve opened his mouth, about to say something when Bucky walked in. Sam gave me a strange look from the side but sat silently, watching. The captain looked between me and Bucky before quickly saying, "It's complicated." Bucky stopped and stood at the corner of the room, watching me silently. I couldnt tell if he was glaring at me or if he always wore that expression. Either way, something about his stare made me uncomfortable. I smiled at Steve.

"I understand."

I looked back towards Bucky not wanting to be rude. "Good morning." I chirped as happily as I could. His face faltered for a moment like he had been taken off gaurd then went back to stone. "Good morning." He said in his deep gruff voice, eyeing me sideways before stalking off to the open concept kitchen I hadn't noticed last night. He pulled some orange juice out of the fridge and began pouring a glass, still surveying the scene in front of him. Awkward. Welp, that conversation was over. Did Bucky have something to do with my father's fight with Steve?

Maybe when I got this damn bracelet off I would hack into the United Nations files and see what I could find on the splitting of the Avengers. There had to be information somewhere that would give me the answer.

I looked down at the painful reminder of Adam's betrayal. I wondered how he was, whether or not his leg was healing well, if he regretted anything he had done. I shook my head, trying to rid the thoughts from my mind. It was time to focus on getting out of here, not worry about Adam, which brought me to my next question. How was I going to get out of here? I didn't even know where here was and this stupid bracelet kept me from accessing anything with my mind. Guess I was going to have to do this the old fashioned way.

"So, um, where exactly can I find my," I paused for a moment before hastily spitting out the word, "father?" I hated that word. Steve gave me a quizzical stare but then eased once more into a smile.

"He's downstairs playing in the lab. Would you like to visit him? I can accompany you down there." Steve seemed to be happy with the new conversation, his hulking shoulder muscles relaxed and he shifted upright in his seat. Sam still sat awkwardly, watching Bucky who was in turn watching me. This was going to be easy. I could feel a smirk creeping onto my face and quickly transformed it into a not so genuine smile.

"yeah, I would like that."

Steve pushed himself from the couch and began walking towards the elevator. I watched him place his thumb on the bio-metric scanner and the big metal doors opened. He held a hand out to keep them from closing and waited for me to enter like a gentleman. He broke the silence as soon as the doors shut.

"I'm glad you want to talk with him. I think he's been too afraid to see you since last night so he's holed up in the lab. He's in one of his moods and won't talk civilly with anyone."

"He wasn't in a mood last night?"

"I'm afraid not. Tony's always been sort of difficult to deal with. He has the best intentions though. Deep down he's a good man who stands by his convictions. I can respect that."

"I'm not sure how to interact with him." I said honestly. Steve was just so easy to talk to. "He just shows up out of nowhere and I'm just supposed to be happy about that? It doesn't work like that in the real world."

"I understand Sam. You have every right to be upset with him. Heck, I'd be upset too, but I believe you two can fix this." He patted my shoulder reassuringly, his baby blue eyes had a glimmer of hope in them as he looked into my own. I felt a twinge of guilt for lying to him as I had no intention of patching things with my father. I would never forgive the man. I simply wanted access to the lab.

The elevator dinged as we reached the basement level. I stepped out and saw a room full of machinery and glowing blue screens behind a wall of glass. Steve stepped forward and placed his thumb on the screen next to the door and it clicked open.

"Ladies first."

I entered slowly, looking around for Tony. Music was blaring from the speakers in the ceiling. I couldn't hear any movement let alone my own footsteps. I rubbed my temple as it began to ache once more, my eyes squinting from the bright fluorescent lights. I made my way through the lab, Steve following behind me, until I saw him. He was sitting on a computer chair in the middle of the room, a robot was working on his one arm that was covered by a piece of his iron man suit. He was wearing sunglasses and holding a glass of alcohol in his free hand. He was too busy watching his robot to see us come to a halt in front of him.

Without looking up he said, "You know I don't like to be interrupted, Cap." He stopped talking as soon as he glanced up and spotted me.

I folded my arms across my chest and looked at him with contempt. "Day drinking?"

He huffed, setting his drink down and removing his sunglasses from his face. His hair was tousled and messy. I could tell he hadn't slept. "Oh you're sober now?" he asked sarcastically, one of his thick eyebrows raising. The robot continued working away on his arm but he shooed it away in annoyance. He sat there for a few moments, his tired brown eyes scanning me.

"Can you turn the music down please?" I shouted over the ruckus.

"Why?" his lip twitched and his jaw set like stone. "hungover?" His tongue pressed against the inside of his mouth.

I sighed and turned to face Steve who winced apologetically. I could feel my face beginning to get hot and I bit my tongue. I wasn't going to let him get to me. Stay calm, I commanded myself, don't give him the reaction he wants. I was here on a mission and I couldn't blow it, not when I had made it this far. There was no turning back.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Can you turn it down?" I repeated. I placed my hands on my hips and cocked my head to the side, staring him down.

He rose from his seat, turning to fiddle with some metal tools on the table next to him, avoiding my stare. "Music, off." He finally said in defeat before turning back around.

There was sharp pain in the center of my forehead and I suddenly felt faint. I began to fall to the ground but Steve caught me right before I hit the floor. Tony's eyes widened in concern. The room was spinning and I could barely make out my father speaking. "Here, sit her down over here." Specks of black crowded my vision and I felt my eyelids fluttering closed.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Steve ask.

"I have no idea." answered Tony. "Samantha, are you alright? Can you hear me?" He was beginning to sound frantic as he held my head in his hands.

His words began to fade and a ringing sound erupted in my ears, disorienting me. I could see flashes of code scrolling across the inside of my eyelids. I couldn't open my eyes, they were so heavy. _Reprogramming. Reprogramming. Mecha_. I could barely read it, it scrolled so quickly.

Suddenly I heard it, a deep metallic voice. It made my skin crawl. It made me want to scratch my skin off. _They don't care about you_ , it cooed, _they just want to use you_. _I can make it better, I can make it all go away_. The voice echoed inside my head, bouncing off the walls of my cranium, reverberating the bone. I groaned in pain. _Let me help you_ , it said, _Let me help you_.

The voice began to fade and morph, it sounded familiar this time. "I think she fainted."


	7. Escape Plan

**Hey guys! Man, this chapter just about killed me so I'm sorry about the pacing, hopefully you guys won't mind it too much.**

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My eyes finally fluttered open. I felt something cool on my forehead. I shifted my eyes upward to find Steve holding a damp rag to my head. I felt a cool grip on my shoulder and noticed Bucky's iron arm pushing me back into the chair. Then I heard a clicking in front of my face and turned to see my father snapping his fingers, trying to get my attention.

"You all there kiddo?"

"I'm fine." I snapped as I smacked his hand out of my face. Tony let out an agitated breath and stood up, backing away from me. Sam was standing off to the side watching nervously. "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes." replied my father who was now sitting in a chair across from me, prepared for another fainting episode or whatever that was.

"You were convulsing." Bucky pointed out matter of fact.

"What happened?" asked Steve, patting my forehead with the rag. It felt so good against my burning skin. I could feel Bucky's grip loosen and then leave all together. He stepped over to the side, a strange emotion flashing in his eyes. I couldn't quite make it out, was it concern?

"a seizure?" I asked, I wasn't quite sure myself. A seizure wouldn't explain the auditory hallucinations though. "It happens from time to time." I lied. I had never had a seizure before in my life.

"And you didn't feel like informing any of us about this. You do realize that drinking can aggravate seizures right?" said Tony who was now tapping his arm in annoyance.

"Why so you can boss me around and tell me what to do? " I began to shout and I rose to my feet.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do." he quipped, picking up a wrench and then throwing it back down onto a table, a vein popping out on his forehead. He placed both of his hands on the table and took a deep breath before turning back to me.

"Steve, take her back upstairs to her room please so she can sleep it off"

"Tony, I'm not sure..." Steve began.

"You can't just send me to my fucking room like a little girl!" I saw Steve flinch at my colorful use of words.

I wasn't sure what had made me so angry. Perhaps it was my brain still rattling around the inside of my head or perhaps it was the concerned disguise my father was wearing. But I knew he didn't really care. If he had cared he would have been there 13 years ago when my mother had died. The voice had been right, he was a charlatan, pretending to care. I couldn't trust him. I couldn't trust anyone here. I had to get out of here.

I saw a roll of tape on one of the desks. This was it, I thought, this was my chance. I backed up against the table, my hands discreetly grabbing the roll of tape and placing it in my back pocket. No one seemed to notice.

"Uh yes, Samantha, I can." He exaggerated my name, he knew I hated him calling me that. "Come on, somebody take her so I can finish working on this. I can't do it when you're all watching me. It's creepy."

I felt a hard familiar grip on my arm and looked up to see Bucky's cold blue eyes assessing me through his long dark hair. "Let's go." was all he said as he began to pull me back to the elevator. I didn't put up much of a resistance, there was something about his touch that made me want to get closer, not struggle.

"whoa whoa whoa!" I heard my father yell. "Not you Manchurian candidate!"

Bucky looked back down at me for a moment before releasing his grip and backing off with his hands held out in a don't shoot position. His eyes scanned me, landing finally on my ass. He smirked for a split second before his face fell back to the brooding, tense one I was familiar with. What the hell? Did he really just check me out? I couldn't help but feel my face begin to flush as I looked down at my feet before looking back to my father who was scowling.

"Fine. I'll do it." He walked towards me and took my hand in his, leading me over to the elevator. The others watched in silence, making no move to help either of us. I could tell they were torn. Tony stopped at the elevator waiting for it to open and I took my opportunity. I feigned a bit of dizziness and rested my back against the wall near the scanner. In one smooth motion I placed the piece of tape over the bio-metric device and then picked it back up again, folding it in half and sticking it back in my pocket with the roll I had stolen earlier. Hopefully this would work, I had only ever seen it done in movies. Ideally I would have grabbed some tools and just reprogrammed the locks but that was too time consuming and too noticeable. I had to get out of here, and fast!

I quickly yanked my hand out of my fathers when the doors shut. He readjusted his stance, sighing, then stared at me from the side.

"What's your issue with Bucky?" I asked.

"What's your issue with me?" He avoided the question. "Actually, you know what, don't answer that. Rhetorical question."

"You sure you don't want to know? I could write you a list." I suggested dryly.

We finally reached the 4th floor. As soon as the doors opened my hand was snatched up again and I was pulled towards my room. He gave me a gentle shove inside my bedroom and stood at the door watching me for a moment. His dark brows knit together in thought before speaking.

"FRIDAY's almost uploaded to the compound's computer systems. She'll be monitoring you for any more seizures. Sleep for a bit. Get some rest. I'll bring by some dinner at 5."

He didn't wait for me to answer before turning and closing the door. I heard the clicking of the lock. I walked over and tried the door handle just to see if he had actually done it. Yup, locked in my room by my father at the age of 26. I felt so grown up.

I fell down onto my bed, my hand clutching my head. I still had a massive headache but the voice was gone. Maybe it had all just been a really bad migraine? Then again, maybe I was finally going crazy. It had felt so invasive, having someone else's thoughts inside my brain. Or maybe they had really been my own, leaking through my subconscious into the fore front of my mind, telling me what I already knew. I supposed I would never know.

I lay there for what seemed like an eternity, glancing at the alarm clock on the side table every so often. I had to wait until everyone was asleep before I pulled off my little escape plan. I wanted to attract as little attention to myself as possible. So, for now, I would stay in my room like a good girl. 2 o'clock soon turned into 3 o'clock and 3 soon turned into 4. I was startled awake when i heard a knock at the door. I looked over to the alarm clock to see the neon red 5:00 printed on it's screen.

"Come in." I let out a exasperated sigh before flinging myself off the bed. I felt like a moody teenager all over again.

My father opened the door holding a box of pizza. His lips curved into a slight smile as he held it forward for me to take, he seemed rather pleased with himself.

"Bored yet? I've been told I'm great company."

I took the box from his hands, it smelled absolutely delicious and I could feel my mouth begin to water. I hadn't eaten in a while and I was finally starting to feel the repercussions. I sneaked a peek behind my father and saw Steve watching from around the corner. He had an encouraging smile plastered on his face. He must have talked my father into inviting himself in, I thought to myself. I looked back to my father with an annoyed face. The words from earlier replayed in my mind, he doesn't care, not really. I rolled my eyes and started walking back to my bed, waving my free hand in the air.

"Your company? I'm good, thanks. Feel free to send Bucky in though." I turned and winked at him, a cold smirk creeping across my face. I knew how upset that comment would make him. I sat and waited for a reaction.

"Not funny. You'll stay away from him if you know what's good for you. He's not a good person." There was a certain sadness in his eyes that vanished as quickly as I had seen it.

"and you're perfect?" I prodded. I started to dig into the pizza, the hot cheese melted in my mouth. If there was one nice thing I could say about my father, it would be that he had good taste in pizza. Too bad that was the only nice thing I had to say about him.

"I suppose not." I heard him murmur as he abruptly stormed out of the door and closed it behind him, the lock clicking back in place. I smiled to myself, everything was going exactly as planned.

I placed the pizza by the door and set my alarm clock for 2 in the morning. Hopefully everyone would be asleep by then and I could slip out of my room and make my way towards the elevator. With the residue of the fingerprint stuck to the tape, it would serve as my key out of here. Replaying the plan over and over in my mind, I eventually fell asleep.

2 o'clock came soon enough. I was awakened by the faint buzzing of the alarm clock and quickly slammed my hand on the metal button to silence it. This was it. No more house arrest. No more Iron man. No more Tony Stark. I fumbled through the dark and flipped the light switch next to the bio-metric reader. There was one on each side of the door. Tony hadn't programmed it to allow me in or out. Too bad I had his fingerprint.

I carefully unfolded the tape and placed it fingerprint-side down on the scanner. It glowed blue for a moment then the lock un-clicked. Easy peasy. My heart started to beat a little faster and I tried to keep my breathing in check. I was just so excited it had actually worked. I quietly nudged the door open inch by inch until I could squeeze past. It was pitch dark in the hallway and it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust. I managed to stumble my way to the corner and peered into the living area. It was dark as well. No sign of life.

I was tiptoeing towards the elevator when I hit something hard. Damn couches. The impact made a soft muffled groan I hoped no one would hear. I placed my hand on the couch and padded my way around the room as silently as possible. When I finally made it to the next keypad, I quickly knelt and began to un-stick the tape once more. I was mere inches away from placing the tape on the scanner when I heard a loud bang besides my head.

I recoiled from the loud noise, letting out a loud gasp, my heart beating quickly. I turned to see the wall caved in and a metal arm removing itself from the new hole. It pulled back and grabbed my wrist as I felt another hand grab my shoulder. I could feel a hard muscular body pressing against my back and hot breath on my neck.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" I heard a familiar husky voice growl.


	8. Breakfast

**Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be gone for about 10 days visiting my sister so I won't be able to post during that time. Not to worry though, I'll resume posting once I get back! Thank you once again for all your wonderful reviews, they seriously make my day!**

 **peoplers: Hahaha yes, tons of sexual tension :p There's definitely some animal magnetism going on there.**

 **petite-yoyo: They do need some "alone time" hahahahaha, you're comment almost made me spit out my coffee lol She'll be getting that bracelet off soon!**

 **shika93: Thank you!**

 **xHowlx: Thank you for all your reviews! :) I love me some good cliff hangers! I'll be nice this time though since I'll be gone for a while. Don't want to leave you guys hanging for so long!**

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 **scarlet.g.13: Aww thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoy it! :)**

 **MidnightDragon0213: Hahaha. There'll be plenty more Bucky interaction in the next couple of chapters!**

I was pressed against the hard wall, his body leaning against mine as he let go of one wrist. I then felt a hand graze the back of my knee, then my thigh. There was a hitch in my breath as I felt his hand moving higher and higher. My back arched to meet him as his grip landed firmly on my ass. His hand lingered for a few moments as I awaited his next move. He forcefully spun me around to face him, his lips inches from mine. Was he going to kiss me? My lips trembling, they parted slightly in anticipation. He rose his hand toward my face. He was holding something. He was holding the tape that had been in my back pocket. What?

"I saw you take this earlier. I wasn't sure what you were going to use it for so I didn't say anything but now I think it's time to confiscate it." He smirked.

So that's why he had stared at my ass, I thought angrily to myself. He had just searched me and I just sat there like an idiot and let him do it. Good going, Sam! I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as his eyes continued to bore into mine. I scowled.

"Why do you care if I leave or not?" I asked.

He stared at me a few moments with a contemplative look on his face before gently pulling me to my feet. He said nothing, a faint smile playing on his lips, his hand still lingering on the small of my back.

Suddenly the room's lights flipped on, nearly blinding me. I had to squint to make out my father now standing a few feet away. Steve walked into the room behind him. He looked surprised to see me leaning against Bucky, his hand still holding my wrist, the other supporting my waist.

"He shouldn't, but I do." My father's eyebrows were lowered against his deep brown eyes that were now filled with fury. I could see his lip beginning to twitch, one side curling upwards slightly. Bucky quickly let me go, taking a few steps away. I swayed on my feet a little now that my support had gone but finally grounded myself and glared at my father.

"How the hell did you get out of your room? FRIDAY notified me as soon as the door opened. I thought it was a glitch but apparently not..."

Bucky tossed the roll of tape in my fathers direction. He caught it without taking his eyes off of me and bounced it a few times in his hand before sighing and turning back to look at Steve.

"Do you see what I have to deal with?" he asked Steve who was too busy staring at Bucky with a confused look on his face.

"What you have to deal with? What about what I have to deal with?" I snapped. "Have you seen this thing?" I shook my bracelet in front of his face, he leaned back slightly just to get out of the way. "No to mention you locked me in my room like a some sort of prisoner!"

Steve looked at us from the side. "She's got a point Tony."

"And what do you suggest, we just let her walk out?" Tony looked annoyed as he continued to stare at me. He never blinked.

"No." answered Steve who looked thoughtful. "But we can't treat her like a prisoner any longer. We can at least let her have free roam of the living quarters."

"Uh, hello? I'm right here!" They were having an entire converstaion about me, right in front of me like I wasn't there. I looked over to see Bucky now sitting on one of the couches, watching from the sidelines. He seemed tense, his shoulders were raised and stiff and his jaw was clenched. He didn't appear to like the two of them fighting. I raised an eyebrow and turned back to my father who had followed my gaze over to Bucky. His eyes narrowed before looking back at me and speaking.

"Fine. But just know that FRIDAY will be utilizing facial recognition along with the scanner now. Your little tape trick won't work next time." He waved the tape in the air as he said this. "No more lab visits for you either, you're stuck here on the fourth floor."

"What about this thing?" I asked holding out my arm, the metal bracelet glinting in the light. I placed my other hand firmly on my hip.

"I had a chat with your friend, Adam, about that." My heart fell into my stomach when he said his name. "It's not meant to come off. I watched them weld it on you. We'd have to break every bone in your hand to get it off or risk the chance of sawing your arm off."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I sighed. If my father didn't know how to get it off then how was I going to remove it? This just kept getting worse and worse.

"I think it's time for everyone to go back to bed." said Steve who was still standing there awkwardly between Bucky and my father. He ran his hand through his blonde hair and winced, waiting for another blow up between Tony and I.

"Fine." I murmured, dropping my hand to my side and glowering once more at my father.

"Fine" my father retorted.

I huffed and stepped around my father, making my way back to my bedroom, defeat written on my face. So much for my good mood, it had all but vanished. I was going to be stuck here forever with the one person I loathed the most.

I stepped into my bedroom and buried myself under the crisp white sheets of my bed, hiding from the world if only just for a moment. There was no way I was getting out of here now. I had royally screwed my chances the moment Bucky caught me. Had he been waiting for me out there all night? I shook my head. No, FRIDAY's alarm must have woken him as well. I rolled onto my back, the blankets still pulled over my head and sighed. I couldn't shake the memory of his hand on the back of my thigh, the way he had looked at me when I asked him why he cared. I fell asleep to the image of his steel blue eyes piercing my soul.

 _I can help you get out of here_ , the voice whispered inside my head. _let me take care of everything. Give in to me_.

"How?" I asked in the darkness of my dreams. "How can you help?"

 _Trust me_ , was all it said before I went spiraling into the dark abyss, it's voice echoing in the recesses of my mind. _Trust me_.

I woke up freezing, in a pool of my own sweat. I raised my hand to my forehead, it was burning hot. I felt miserable. I hoisted myself from the now messy bed and made my way to the dresser, picking out a long sleeved, black shirt and some black sweatpants. I hurriedly threw them on, trying desperately to get warm. The long sleeves helped heat me up a little and I felt a little more comfortable in the sweat pants than I had in the skin tight jeans from yesterday.

My stomach grumbled. I looked down and rubbed it. Time for some food. I cringed a little at the thought of leaving my room. Leaving meant I had to interact. Last night I had debated on just holing myself up in my room for a few days. After all, I couldn't talk to my father if I never saw him. My stomach rumbled again, this time louder. "Okay, okay." I muttered to myself as I walked towards the door.

I heard some talking in the main room and slowly crept over to the corner, peeking around to see who was there. No sign of my father, thank god. It was just Steve and a girl I hadn't met yet. I stepped around the corner and made my way to the kitchen where they were sitting at the counter.

Steve turned and smiled at me, waving me over as I approached. The girl also turned and gave me a polite smile. She had long, straight, brown hair and was wearing a crimson leather jacket.

"Morning Sam!" beamed Steve. "Wanda and I were just talking about you. She got in late last night. I think you gals might have a lot in common."

I walked around the island where they were sitting, headed directly to the freshly brewed pot of coffee. I poured myself a mug, inhaling the scent of coffee beans and hazelnut. "Nice to meet you, Wanda." I said as I reached my hand out to shake hers. Her grip was soft and dainty but there was a sense of overwhelming power behind her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sam." she said in a thick eastern European accent. "I hear you're under house arrest. Tony did the same to me a while ago so I know how you feel."

"I hate him." I muttered under my breath.

She smiled. "Something we can both agree on."

I was beginning to like this girl. It seemed she hated my father almost as much as I did and that meant I had someone on my side. The enemy of your enemy is your friend and all that jazz. I smiled back at her. Steve scratched his head and seemed a little uncomfortable with the new direction of the conversation. I didn't think this is what he meant by 'having things in common'. I couldn't help but suppress a laugh at the thought, making my belly ache worse. I had forgotten that I had come here to eat. I turned and began to rummage through the fridge.

"Good morning Bucky" I heard Steve say from behind me. My heart dropped a little when I knew he was there. What would he say about last night? Had he felt the way my body had reacted to him? Soon after I felt some one's hands placed on my hips, moving me to the side slightly. I turned my head to see Bucky standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. He reached over and grabbed his O. J. before giving me a sly wink. Gee, I thought to myself, he's sure handsy after last night. I gave him a dead pan stare to which he quickly removed his hands and took a seat next to Steve.

I scanned the fridge. There wasn't much in there to eat besides a carton of eggs. I pulled them out and turned to the trio sitting at the counter. "Eggs anyone?"

Steve leaned back in his stool, smiling apologetically. "Sorry Sam. Wanda and I were just heading down to do some training..."

"No worries!" I nodded at them before turning to the cabinets and pulling out a large frying pan. When I turned back Bucky was staring at his glass, avoiding eye contact. "What about you?" I asked, pointing the skillet in his direction. He looked up, surprised that I had spoken to him.

"Sure." he responded.

Steve and Wanda rose from their seats, Steve collecting their glasses and placing them in the sink. Wanda walked towards the elevator but turned right before she got there.

"It was nice meeting you. We should talk again later."

"I'd like that." I replied, waving to her as she entered the elevator. Steve lingered for a moment, glancing between Bucky and I.

"You two have a good breakfast!" He said almost too cheerily. I watched him give Bucky a quick nudge with his elbow as he turned to join Wanda, the metal doors closing behind them.

I gave Bucky a skeptical look before asking, "Fried or scrambled?"

"Scrambled." He said in his smooth, deep voice.


	9. Drinking Games

**Hey everyone, finally back from my trip and excited to start writing again! Thank you once again for all the reviews, they make my day!**

 **xHowlx: Thank you! Not to worry, plenty of Bucky/Sam action coming your way soon!**

 **peoplers: Hahaha :p**

 **KEZZ 1: Thank you!**

 **petite-yoyo: Wanda is definitely one of Sam's many options.**

 **Elizabeth: Hey, glad you're still enjoying it! I'm really excited to write the scene when Sam finds out about Bucky, really juicy stuff! I don't think Tony has anything against mutants per se but he's definitely scared of Sam's powers and worries about her ability to control them. He also doesn't want her to leave just yet so he kind of wants to keep the bracelet on her, he just won't say it to her face. I consider Sam a mutant :)**

 **Winter-kiss: Tony definitely wants to keep Sam's powers in check for the time being. He thinks he's doing what's best for her by keeping her holed up in the Avengers compound and doesn't want her leaving just yet.**

 **scarlet.g.13: Hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

 **Regin: Thanks! Sorry it took me a while to upload this chapter!**

 **Rebel-theory: Thank you for all your reviews! Tony is half lying about the bracelet. He could probably get it off if he really wanted to but don't worry! Sam has a few plans formulating to get it off!**

He hesitated when he looked down at the eggs I had made for him.

"These aren't poisoned right? Not another one of your escape plans?"

"Are you Tony Stark?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow while sliding the rest of the eggs onto my own plate.

He grinned, shoving the eggs around with his fork. "I'm not."

"Then nope. No poison for you." I smirked.

I plopped myself onto the stool next to him and turned to see that he had already scarfed down his food and was leaning back with his arms laced behind his head, watching me. He stayed silent, surveying me and taking in my every movement. I saw a faint smile wash over his face as I gingerly took a bite of my eggs.

"Can I ask you a question?" I stuffed another fork-full of eggs into my mouth.

"Sure." He said tentatively. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned forward in his seat. He was so close to me that I could smell his minty cologne. It made me want to get even closer.

"Why did you stop me from leaving last night?"

His face fell into a thoughtful look and he tapped a finger on the counter. "It's not safe for you out there." He said quietly, looking up at me with his deep, dark eyes. "It's safer for you with the Avengers. Steve said that Tony had mentioned the government was wanting to experiment on you and that's why he got you out. I know what that's like, experimentation." He choked on the word a little bit, furrowing his brows as he sat and remembered. "You don't want to deal with any of that." He finally spit out. I could tell the conversation was over. His lips were pressed into a tight line and his body was no longer loose and reclined. I could see the storm raging behind his previously warm eyes. In one swift motion he pushed himself off his stool and stalked over to the dishwasher, placing his dirty dish inside and then walking towards the elevator. He stopped and turned towards me before stepping inside.

"Thank you for breakfast." He nodded his head in my direction then stepped into the elevator, the doors closing quickly behind him.

I sighed. Welp, I had royally fucked up that conversation. Suddenly I wasn't so hungry anymore. I slowly rose from my seat and made my way over to the trashcan, tossing the remainder of my food inside before heading back to my room. It was time to work on my new game plan.

Operation Remove Bracelet was still in the planning stage but I felt like I had a couple of good options to go with. Option number one was to just saw my arm off. A little too dramatic for me but it was always an option. Option number two was to get Wanda to take it off for me. I had seen her work with the Avengers on the news a few years prior and knew that if anyone could take this damn thing off without injuring my hand it would be her. Plus, she seemed to have a grudge against my father which could help me persuade her to help me. The third option was my least favorite. Cozy up to my father and work together to remove it. If I could get him to trust me enough, I could use his lab and devise a way to get out of it myself if needed.

I flung myself onto my bed and lay on my stomach, my hands holding my head up as I thought. Option number two was so far my favorite. I was, however, a little unsure of how I would casually ask Wanda to break me out. I couldn't risk the chance of her telling my father and the others what I was up to.

A smile spread across my face as a thought popped into my head. Wanda looked a little younger than me, maybe she couldn't hold her alcohol as well as me. If I could get her a little inebriated she might be more inclined to remove my bracelet and if she refused she simply wouldn't remember me asking her. Plus, if it didn't work out then I would have had a good time anyways. Perfect!

I stretched out my arms and yawned. Content, I flipped onto my back, humming to myself. I barely noticed the door open. My smile faded when I turned and saw my father standing in the doorway.

"Is knocking frowned upon here?" I sat up, squinting my eyes at him.

"Seeing as I'm in charge, yes. I hate knocking." He was wearing black jeans and a band t-shirt, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. He leaned against the door frame, looking down at a small phone in his hands.

"Not surprising." I murmured.

We sat in an awkward silence for a few moments before he finally interjected. "Well, I figured I'd let you know that I'll be gone for the night, going to pick up a few more members of the team. Cap's here if you need anything. Try not to cause any trouble. Don't break anything and all that jazz." He flipped the satellite phone he had been fiddling with closed and stuffed it in his pocket before glancing up at me.

"I'll make sure to set your room on fire first." I replied.

He chuckled under his breath a bit and turned the corner, waving his hand in the air. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in the morning." He disappeared down the hallway. He sure was in a good mood, strange.

I smiled. This day was just getting better and better. I was ecstatic. My father wouldn't be here to monitor my drinking habits and that meant I had a long enough time frame to convince Wanda to remove the bracelet. I looked down at it, it's three, small green lights glowing against the polished metal. Good riddance, I thought as I rubbed my wrist where it made contact with the skin. Without this damn device attached to my limb I would be able to leave whenever I felt like it. A twinge of guilt panged inside my chest as I remembered the look on Bucky's face from our earlier conversation. Could I really just leave like that? He had seemed so concerned about me when we had spoken earlier. I wasn't sure. All that mattered right now was getting it off. I could figure out what I wanted to do after the fact.

I looked over at the clock. It was noon. Too early to convince anyone to drink. I heaved myself from the bed and made my way out to the common area, taking a seat on one of the bigger, fluffy white couches. I decided to flip on the t.v. The screen flickered onto a news station. My eyes widened when I saw my picture plastered on the screen. It was a photo Adam had taken when we went to a robotics tournament last summer. I was holding a large, shiny trophy with a fake surprised look on my face, my mouth in the shape of an "o". My long ponytail draped onto one of my shoulders and I was wearing a blue tank top.

I was even more surprised when I saw the picture next to mine. It was of my father, obviously taken from a magazine. He was wearing a nice suit and was staring straight into the camera, a sly smile playing on his lips.

I turned up the volume to hear the news woman speaking.

"We are still unsure of the whereabouts of Mr. Stark after he removed his daughter, Samantha Walsh, from the United State's protective custody without permission. We are encouraging anyone who sees them to please call our hotline. Ms. Walsh is considered armed and dangerous, do not engage..."

I felt the remote being yanked out of my hand, the t.v. clicking off. I turned around to see Bucky standing over me, scowling.

"Best not to watch the news for a while." He threw the remote onto the cushion next to me. It landed with a soft thud. My heart was racing. There was an international man hunt going on just for me. I was so screwed if I ever got out of here. I sighed and threw my hands into the air dramatically. I had promised myself I wouldn't start drinking without Wanda but now seemed like a good time to start.

Bucky was already waiting for me at the bar. He patted his hand on the seat next to him while pouring a glass of whiskey for me and placing it on the counter. I took the seat next to him and sighed, picking up my glass and clinking it on the glass he was now holding in his hand.

"Cheers." I grumbled.

"I'm not supposed to let you do this but you looked like you needed a pick me up." He said, watching me intently over his cup. He smiled and took a small sip. I smiled and downed half of my drink. He looked at me curiously as I drank the rest in one gulp.

"You going to limit my alcohol intake as well?" I mused.

"No." He looked serious this time. "You're a big girl and can make your own decisions" He picked up the bottle and poured me another glass. His fingers gently grazed mine as he handed it back to to me, tiny pin pricks of electricity danced down my fingertips making my stomach flutter. I sucked in a breath in an effort to slow my breathing, hoping he didn't notice.

"Thanks." I whispered. I couldn't help but stare at him. His square jaw was covered in that five o'clock shadow that never seemed to vanish. He would glance up every once in a while, watching me with his large blue eyes before looking shyly at his glass and swirling it around with his metal hand.

I cleared my throat. "So." I announced loudly. "Tell me something about yourself that no one else knows." I took another swig of my drink and pointed it in his direction, waiting for his reaction.

He looked up and smiled before chuckling at my very serious face. "Why?" he asked, amused.

"It's a drinking game."

"I can't get drunk."

"That's ok, I can drink for the both of us." I winked.

"I don't think your father would like that." he said playfully, leaning towards me and placing his hand on mine

"My father also doesn't want me talking to you. Let's see what else I can do today to piss him off."


	10. Getting Comfortable

**I've never written smut before, please be gentle with me, it's my first time. Hahahaha. With that being said, I hope you guys enjoy cause shit's about to hit the fan at the end of this chapter :p**

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**

"My father also doesn't want me talking to you. Let's see what else I can do today to piss him off."

He didn't miss a beat. His lips crashed against mine in an instant, his tongue playfully caressing my lips. I gasped. His metal arm shot out and wrapped around my waist, pulling me off my stool and over towards his seat. His grip was firm and commanding and I was sure I'd have bruises in the morning. I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as I kissed him back and ran my fingers through his long hair. He let out a muffled moan as I rocked my hips forward, feeling him harden underneath me. The thought of his arousal made me wet and hot.

I moved my face back to look at him. His breathing was now ragged and I watched his muscular chest rise and fall in a quick rhythm. He simply stared me down, saying nothing, his hand still snaked around my middle. I raised my hand and trailed a finger down his shirt, his stormy blue eyes surveying my breasts as I leaned forward. I clenched the grey t-shirt in my fist, pulling him off his chair along with me and towards the hallway. He looked at me for a moment, cocking an eyebrow and smirking.

"Are you drunk? Where do you think you're taking me?"

"Just stop talking and follow me!" I whispered. my hand was still on his shirt as I walked backwards towards my room. My heart was beating wildly and my breathing was out of control.

"Yes ma'am" He growled.

He sauntered behind me, the hands that were placed initially on my hips dipping lower and into my pants, taking a handful of my ass and hoisting me up onto his waist. He walked us forward a few steps, leaning me up against my bedroom door before opening it and carrying me inside.

He kneeled, placing me on the bed, hands still stroking my thighs before climbing on top of me. I took the opportunity to remove his shirt. I stared at where his arm had been attached, my fingers trailing the scars alongside the metal. It must have been painful. He grabbed my wrist and looked down at my fingers, interlacing them with his fleshy hand. I could see the storm raging behind his eyes once more. I wondered what exactly they had done to him, this broken man. There was so much sadness in him. I wanted to see him let himself feel something other than that sadness. I wanted to see him uncaged and wild, no longer detached and emotionless. I wanted to share this moment with him, truly uninhibited.

He began counting my fingers, one by one with his metal hand. The coolness of his fingertips gave me goosebumps up and down my arm and I shuddered at the thought of where else he might touch me. He was still avoiding eye contact with me so I reached out to touch his face. His eyes flashed to mine the instant my fingers grazed his cheek.

"Bucky," I whispered.

He seemed to relax a little, dropping my other hand. I cupped his chin and brought him up to my eye level before placing my lips on his once more. This time the kiss was tender, soft and delicate. His hand held the back of my head, pulling me into him. I bit his lip softly and his eyes flew open. He grinned against my mouth before his lips became more forceful, his tongue entering my mouth and encircling my own.

He tore my shirt over my head and brought his mouth down to my neck, abusing my delicate skin. I shivered at the sudden coldness of my now exposed chest. His hands gripped my sides before quickly moving to my back and then to my bra. After quite some time of struggling with this apparently difficult contraption I reached back and undid the clasps for him. He wasted no time, ripping my bra from my shoulders, his lips trailing down towards my perky nipples leaving a trail of wetness in his wake. His breath was hot against my skin and I could feel myself flush.

I slid my hands down towards his pants, trailing his hard abs before reaching them and tugging at them impatiently. He let out an aggravated huff, pushing himself off me and standing. In one swift motion, he slid both pants and underwear onto the floor. He watched me like a predator would survey it's prey, first glancing at my face then to my breasts and then to my covered mound. My breath hitched when I saw his erect cock. I wanted it inside me. Now.

He crawled back on top of me, placing one knee between my thighs, spreading them so that he could have access. I could feel his hand slowly inching up the inside of my leg before massaging my inner thigh, inches away from my entrance. I groaned and grasped for his erection but he quickly snatched up my wrist and pinned it to the bed. His metal fingers dug into my skin before hastily making their way to my panties and pushing them aside. I felt his thumb press against my clit and I bucked my hips forward to meet his touch. I heard a low growl rumble up from his chest as he pressed himself against me so that I couldn't move.

I tore my hand from his grasp and raked my fingers through his hair before grabbing a handful and forcefully pulling his lips back down to mine. His thumb caressed my folds and I gasped as he slipped one finger inside of me, curling it upwards and rocking it back and forth. His dick pressed against my thigh as he pulsed against me. We were no longer kissing, instead he watched me intently, his lips inches from mine as we inhaled the same air in ragged breaths. I could feel my juices dripping down my leg and I began to squirm underneath him. I wanted him now. I couldn't wait any longer.

"Please!" I begged.

He smirked and removed his hand and knee before pulling at my panties. I lifted my knees up as he slid them down and tossed them to the floor. His cold metal fingers dug into my hips as he positioned himself between my thighs. I waited in anticipation, wrapping both of my legs around his waist. He let out a moan as he plunged into me, slowly at first. I rolled my hips against his, letting him fill me completely. My belly felt warm and full and I dug my nails into his back as he thrust against me. Our hips rocked together in a singular rhythm, his hands now grabbing onto my ass, guiding himself as deep as he could go. I could see sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He leaned down and nipped at my neck playfully, his heavy breath tickling my earlobe.

I giggled before taking him by surprise and twisting my legs so that he fell onto his back, me now straddling him. I leaned back, feeling him press against my g-spot. He suddenly seemed unsure of what to do, his eyes widened in shock as he watched me inquisitively, his arms lying at his side. I reached for his hands and placed them firmly on my breasts then slid them along the contours of my body. He seemed to take the hint as he began to pluck and pinch at one of my nipples, his metal arm clutching my ass so tightly I was sure it'd bruise. I ground against his hips, riding him nice and slow. I could feel him gliding in and out of me as I looked up towards the ceiling, letting my hair hang down my back.

He growled impatiently and slammed his hips against mine as hard as he could, throwing me off balance and rolling me over so that he could be on top once more. He moved more forcefully now, quicker and with shorter strides. He nuzzled his head against my neck, his breathing becoming even more jagged as he pounded into me. I could feel my stomach begin to drop and I knew what was coming. My back arched involuntarily and my toes began to curl. My legs went rigid and clamped down on his waist as electricity surged through me. I cried out in ecstasy. I could feel his cock pulsing inside of me and his body rippled above me before he collapsed.

We lay there for a minute, him still inside of me. I could feel his cum trickle down my thigh. I was unconcerned, however, as I had been diligently taking my birth control. He panted and held onto me tightly as I played with his hair. He slid off to the side of me and laid on his back. I was suddenly nervous. Would he try to leave now that he had taken me? I was relieved when I felt his arm snake around the middle of my back and draw me closer to him. I laid my head on his chest and draped my arm across his neck, my fingers gently stroking his scruffy jaw. I was never good with awkward silences.

"Finish the game." I commanded.

"What game?"

"Tell me something nobody else knows."

There was another long silence. He rested his chin on my head before replying, "Hmmm, I haven't held a woman like this in a long time."

"Oh, do tell." I grinned, still out of breath.

"Steve said I used to be a ladies man and I remember bits and pieces of it but that's not who I am anymore. The thought of being that close to someone terrifies me. I feel comfortable around you though. I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time" He cleared his throat and ran a finger down the side of my stomach. "Your turn."

I thought long and hard. I had always believed myself to be a pretty open book so it was difficult to think of something but then I thought about the way Bucky was now holding me and who I had previously longed to hold me the same way. Adam. My heart broke just thinking about him. Suck it up, Sam, I thought to myself, How could you be thinking about Adam at a time like this?

"The man I thought I loved put this bracelet on me." I held out my wrist, looking at it with dismay.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist, examining it for himself before placing it back on his chest. He looked down at me with a contemplative look on his face before speaking. His voice was low and soft.

"I'd take it off for you if I could."

I smiled and chuckled to myself. "How generous of you. You're more than welcome to smash my hand into a million pieces if it means this thing can come off."

He frowned. "I could never do that."

And I believed him. He would never intentionally hurt me or anyone else. The look in his eyes told me he was sincere and I could tell he was struggling with the memories of the things he had done in the past. He made a motion to leave, shifting slightly.

I pushed back on his chest and shook my head. "Stay," I said, "Besides, I'm comfy." I yawned and readjusted myself so that my head lay on his shoulder, one leg draped lazily over his. He reached down and pulled the covers over our legs before resting his head against mine.

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't call me ma'am!" I whined. "You're like what, 70 years older than me? I should be calling you sir."

My head bounced up and down with his chest as he laughed. "Yes ma'am." He repeated. He kissed my forehead once more as his grip around me tightened and he nestled into me. Our bodies fit perfectly together. I was the most relaxed I had ever been in my life and it felt so right.

I couldn't imagine why my father hated Bucky so much, how he could loathe such a fragile and gentle soul. It just didn't make sense. What had happened to cause such bad blood between the two? I supposed I would never know.

The lights on my bracelet slowly blinked out, the needle piercing my skin. Crap! I had completely forgotten about Wanda and my plan! I glanced at the clock next to my bed, it was almost 5 o'clock. If I left now I could probably intercept her on her way to her room. I thought about jumping out of bed when I felt Bucky's head get heavier and his breathing louder. He had fallen asleep. I couldn't bear the thought of waking him up. In truth, I simply didn't want to leave. Operation Remove Bracelet would just have to wait until tomorrow. It wasn't long until I drifted off to sleep as well.

I felt something being tugged from underneath me. My head hit the headboard and I moaned in annoyance. The room was suddenly bright and disorienting. I put my hand over my face before opening my eyes. Peering through my fingers, I saw an incredibly furious Tony standing over me.

"Wake the fuck up Samantha!"


	11. Blackout

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, had some major writer's block going on. Hope you enjoy!**

 **peoplers: No unexpected babies, I promise :) I edited the chapter so that it mentioned birth control, I totally forgot to add that in the first place so I'm glad you mentioned it.**

 **KEZZ 1: Thank you!**

 **Guest: Hahaha yeah he needs to work on personal boundaries! And thank you, I'm glad you think I did alright!**

 **Leena7: Thanks!**

 **petite-yoyo: We all secretly needed it ;p**

 **BlueEyesBlueSkies: Thank you so much! It was so nerve wracking to write so I'm glad you thought it wasn't horrible! I'll definitely keep that in mind the next time I write another scandalous scene :)**

 **jcvampirebat: Thank you!**

 **mette598i: Thanks! Sorry it took me so long to upload!**

 **mun3litKnight: Oh he's soooo pissed and thank you!**

 **inazumame1997: Thank you! I think Bucky is still a very broken man and I really wanted to show that. One moment he's rough and commanding like the winter soldier and the next he's unsure and confused.**

 **daydreamer987: Lots of drama, I promise! :p**

 **Kimmy: Thanks!**

 **RandomFan: Hahaha busted indeed!**

 **Guest: Lmao!**

 **Rebel-theory: I really debated on whether or not they should have sex but I finally decided to make them do it because I needed this scene to come afterwards. I needed the drama to unfold, lol! But I'm glad you thought it was ok and we'll be going back to the main plot in this chapter. :)  
**

I looked over to see Bucky hastily throwing on his pants in the corner of the room. He glanced at me for a moment before throwing me his shirt and my panties that had been on the ground. My cheeks burned red when I realized that I was still naked in bed. I had been so surprised that I had sat straight up without covering myself and was now fully exposed. Tony quickly turned to face the door, allowing me time to pull Bucky's shirt over my head and put my panties back on. My embarrassment was instantly transformed into anger.

"Don't you remember our discussion about knocking?" I stood up from the bed and placed myself in front of Bucky, ready for the verbal barrage my father was about to unleash. If he wanted to yell at someone, he could yell at me. Tony turned to face me. His face was red and he had his arms crossed, one finger tapping away at his elbow.

"I leave you for one night, Samantha, and you go off and sleep with the one fucking person I told you to stay away from!" He took a few steps closer to me, his fists now clenched as he tried to get around to Bucky.

"I don't need your God damn permission to sleep with anyone!" I yelled as I threw both of my arms out to the side, barring him from getting around me. My back was now leaning against Bucky's chest as my father continued to advance.

"Obviously you do, since you apparently will sleep with just about anyone."

"That's rich coming from the man who didn't even know he had a kid." I said smugly. He faltered for a moment before continuing.

"And you!" He shouted, jabbing his finger in Bucky's face. "You just can't leave my fucking family alone, can you?"

I felt Bucky's body stiffen. His muscles tensed and his breathing got faster. I was so confused.

"What in the hell are you going on about?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Tony spat.

"Tell me what?" I turned to face Bucky but he wouldn't look me in the eyes, instead he stared at my father. "Tell me what?" I repeated, placing my hand on his chest but he refused to look at me. Instead he placed his hands firmly on my hips and began to move me to the side.

"Move, Sam." He said sternly. His face was back to the cool, callous one he wore when we first met.

"No! Somebody tell me what the fuck's going on!" I screamed as I tried to hold my ground but Bucky was stronger than me and he gently shoved me over to the side. I whipped my head around to glare at them, opening my mouth to interject when a loud crack resounded throughout the room. Tony's fist struck the side of Bucky's face, causing him to fall back against the wall. Bucky didn't move, he simply lay down, wiping the blood from his mouth, his eyes never leaving my fathers. He had let him hit him.

I rushed to Bucky's side, kneeling beside him and placing my hand on his face. He flinched and glanced over towards me, a sense of sadness and fear in his eyes, before looking back at the ground. What on Earth was he so afraid of? I turned to glare at my father who had taken a step back, eyes still fixated on Bucky. His lip twitched up into a snarl.

"That's for my parents." He mumbled before swiveling his head around to face me. "Who he murdered, by the way."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks and I could feel my heart sink in my chest. Murdered? I felt my mouth gape open as I viewed Bucky from the side. He simply stared at the ground, anguish written across his face. I knew he had done some things he wasn't proud of but killing my grandparents? No wonder my father loathed him so much. I didn't believe it.

"Is it true?" I whispered, finally catching a glimpse of Bucky's eyes. Silence. His lack of an answer told me everything I needed to know. His lips were pressed into a tight line and I could tell there wouldn't be a conversation.

I let out a breath in frustration. How could he not tell me this? In fact, why didn't either of them inform me? I felt a surge of rage build up inside me, overwhelming force pressing at my temples causing my head to ache. I took another deep breath trying to calm myself down, trying to control myself before I lashed out but the tension inside of me was just too much. I launched myself off of the floor, propelling myself towards the door.

"Fuck both of you!" I exclaimed as I flung myself through the open doorway, shoving past my father. I couldn't be in the same room with them any longer. I felt like a pawn in their game. I felt used.

I made it a good four steps out into the hall before I started to feel dizzy, beginning to sway as my feet turned to lead and I fell to my knees. The light began to dissolve into strange pixels, crowding my sight until eventually the only thing I saw was small black and green squares. They moved in an erratic motion, changing color at random. I could just barely make out the small, white 0's and 1's swirling around me. It was like I had been transported inside a computer, into a physical version of it's existence. I was no longer in the common room's hallway and I could no longer feel my body. Everything was quiet, until it spoke.

"They lied to you." I heard the smooth, metallic voice coo. "I told you, you couldn't trust them."

I spun in a circle trying to find the source of the voice but I was the only one there, all alone inside my head. It was right. I couldn't trust anyone here. Could I trust it?

"Of course you can trust me. I'm a part of you now. We're one in the same." It answered, as if it had read my mind. "I can help you."

"How can you help me?"

"You know what you have to do. Do it" It spoke more forcefully now, it's words etching into my brain. I felt agitated and itchy, like bugs were crawling under my skin. I hated them. I hated them all. I couldn't stay here any longer, not one more second. I'd go crazy if I had to spend another moment in this compound, living with these pretenders.

"Do it." It repeated and I knew I had to. The pixels were changing more rapidly know, sending me into a tizzy. It felt like I was spiraling down a never ending abyss, falling with no hope of ever reaching the bottom. My stomach fluttered and my heart beat rapidly, adrenaline coursing through my veins. The squares blinked out, one by one, until there was nothing but darkness.

I woke with a start, pulling my body upwards and gasping for air. I glanced around frantically before realizing I was back in the real world, my surroundings once again familiar. I was in my father's lab, sitting in a reclined metal chair. He pushed me back down onto the cold surface.

"Woah woah woah, calm down." His voice was jumbled and I was barely able to make out what he was saying. "You seized again."

But I couldn't calm down, the adrenaline was still rushing through me. I broke free of his arms and my eyes scanned the room as I jumped to my feet, ripping electrode monitors from my skin. I could feel the source of the voice lurking in the dark recesses of my mind, compelling me to do what I needed to do. I could see Tony's mouth moving but I could no longer hear his voice, I only heard the shrill ringing inside my ears. He took a step back and held his hands up in defense, shock spreading across his face.

I bumped into tables, causing various objects to clatter onto the floor as I stumbled throughout the room like an injured animal. I needed to get out of here. I needed this damn bracelet off. An object on one of my father's workbenches caught my eye and suddenly my vision was crystal clear. I honed in on the object, wobbling towards it before picking it up. It was a hammer.

Without a second thought, I lifted the heavy tool high into the air, placing my hand in it's destructive path. I took a deep breath and smashed it down over and over again. Bones crunched and snapped, sending waves of heat and piercing pain upwards, through my arm and into my shoulders. My skin burned as it shredded from the impact, bits of it peeling off to expose deep red splotches of muscle. My hand crumpled into a small ball. Bones were in the wrong places and I could see them dislocate from their original positions, floating underneath the skin. Tony grabbed my arm, trying to pry the hammer from my fingers but he was too late. I turned and head butted him, sending him backwards. The pain from the impact was nothing compared to the burning ache of my hand and fragmented fingers.

I threw the hammer onto the ground and lifted my throbbing hand, slowly pulling the bracelet off with my other. I hissed in pain. Bones moved and blood dripped as the bracelet slid over the mangled appendage until it finally was off. I turned to look over at Tony, horror on his face as I threw the bracelet at his feet.

"What in the hell? Samantha! What did you do?" I heard my father yell over the white noise.

Elation flooded over me as I felt electricity surge through my body, power pulsing inside my mind. I could feel it ebbing and flowing, completely overriding the pain from my hand. Finally, I thought hysterically, Finally I was free! I squeezed my eyes tight, bright white light piercing my eyelids as I felt the power consume me. I let out a garbled scream as I felt explosive energy build up from my toes, slowly coursing upwards until it filled my head. I thought I might explode. There was a loud crackle in the air and I opened my eyes to see light flooding into me until suddenly all the lights in the room sparked and then went out, leaving us both in the dark.


	12. Abyss

**Hello again everyone, I know this chapter is long overdue and I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to upload! School's been kicking my ass and I just haven't had the time to write. I can't promise a regular posting schedule but I do intend on finishing this story. I apologize in advance that this chapter may be a little off since I've been thrown off my writing groove (it's also a little short) :p**

I could hear my father breathing heavily, there was a hitch in his gasps and I could hear his frantic movements. Objects clattered to the ground as his footsteps got closer.

"Sam, are you there? Are you okay?"

I didn't answer. Instead I squinted, trying to remember where his iron man suit was located. I felt the most calm I had ever been in his presence. It was like something else had taken over me entirely and all my fears and worries had subsided, regressed into the deepest parts of myself, locked away forever.

We stood there in silence for what seemed like hours, both of us trying to get our bearings. If I remembered correctly, his suit was stored in a case somewhere in the center of the room. Although it was pitch black, I could now see the faint, familiar glow of numbers circling the area like ghosts. There was an abundance of them emanating to my right.

I slowly willed my legs to move in their direction, trying to remain as silent as possible so that Tony remained unaware of my location. I slid my hand along the wall trying to orientate myself. I stopped when I felt the glass.

I reached out with my mind, watching the 1's and 0's react to my wavelengths. I could tell his suit was right in front of me now. The numbers had condensed before me and jittered with energy. The eyes of the helmet blinked on, casting an ambient light throughout the room.

I could now see Tony who was only a few feet away from me. He snapped his head in my direction, his mouth agape. He reached his hand out, motioning for me to stop. I glanced away from him, entranced by the red metal suit behind the glass.

"Samantha! Step away from the suit"

A wicked smile played across my face. "Why? I don't think you'll be needing it anymore."

He lunged across the table that had been between us but he was too slow. Stupid old man. He approached me carefully, both hands raised in defense. He was inches away from me now. In a sudden burst of movement he tried to tackle me but I side stepped him and he went soaring into the glass. The pane of glass shattered on top of the both of us. I felt him grab my foot but I managed to kick him off. He was slowly getting back up when I turned to face his suit.

I closed my eyes, willing the suit to come to life. I could hear the low hum surround me as the iron suit enclosed my body. It was a tad uncomfortable seeing as the suit had been designed for a man but I didn't really care. The metal clanked together at the seams and I could hear Friday's confused voice call out to me. "Unauthorized user!" she kept on repeating but I had disabled all of her countermeasures with a single thought. The words "system override" flashed in front of my eyes and she finally shut up.

Never before had I had this much power. Until now, it had always been difficult to concentrate and control electronics for long periods of time but today was different. Today I had unlimited energy. It was almost as if I had sucked up all of the power in the room.

I glanced down at my defenseless father. He stood there, breathing raggedly, holding a wrench in one hand. I watched his dark brown eyes shifting from place to place. I could tell he was formulating some sort of plan. He seemed concentrated until the metal doors to the lab were pried open. The sound of screeching metal jarred me out of my trance and I took the opportunity to blast my father in the chest, sending him flying through the door and onto the others.

The emergency lights finally clicked on and I could see a very shocked Steve drag an unconscious Tony into an out of the way corner. Bucky and Natasha stepped through the door next, pistols drawn and aimed at me. What looked like uncertainty washed over Bucky's beautiful blue eyes before they hardened and his mouth settled into his usual frown. After quickly checking Tony's pulse, Steve got up and stepped in front the two other super soldiers.

"Get out of the suit Sam. We don't want to shoot you."

For a millisecond I thought about surrendering. I didn't really want to hurt these people, did I? For the first time since smashing it, I could now feel my broken and limp hand. Warm blood lubricated the metal glove that encompassed it. I squeezed my eyes, trying to recover my emotions but the uncontrollable anger washed over me once more. My feelings were sent back into the strange new abyss within my soul and I felt my mechanical arm move on its own accord.

A white light began to pulse from my hand as I held it out in their direction. Natasha reacted almost immediately, her bullets ricocheting off of me. Steve ran forwards to tackle me. He grabbed my arm and for a moment I could feel the metal indent from his raw strength but it wasn't enough to stop me. I reached over and smashed his face with my other fist then kicked him, sending him crashing into the concrete wall. Another bullet whizzed past my helmet and I advanced towards Romanoff.

Something was holding me back and I realized that Steve had gotten back up and had his arm around my throat and his other hand on my broken one. Bucky finally approached and used his metal arm to grab hold of my other wrist. Steve slowly let go of my neck and moved to my side while the two of them pushed me up against the wall. Natasha stood near Tony, who was still lying on the ground, in a defensive position. I heard my father groaning and turn his head to face me.

"Get out of the suit Sam. Please!" Steve begged.

I glanced at Bucky who only stared in silence then back to my father who lay crumpled on the ground. I felt a twinge of guilt in my stomach, it felt as if I was falling. There was no turning back now. What had I done?

"No." I breathed. I had made up my mind. I would be leaving this compound and the Avengers. Hopefully I would never see them again. I'd start a new life, living in the shadows. I thought about Adam in that moment. I wasn't sure why but something told me I had to find him.

"Then we'll just have to pry it off of you." Bucky finally spoke, "You're not leaving here."

"Like hell I am!" I shouted. I willed the rocket boosters to turn on and within a matter of seconds we were blasting through the ceiling and through the main floor. I wasn't quite used to flying like this, it felt unnatural and I was a bit wobbly. I looked down to my side to see that Bucky was still hanging on to my arm. I tried to shake him but his grip was too strong.

I spotted the big glass windows that adorned the concrete prison and crashed right through them, finally making it outdoors. I wasn't alone though. Apparently Sam had been notified of my would be escape and the bird man had suited up and was following closely on my tail. Bucky began to tear at the metal of my suit, ripping wires from my arms. I grit my teeth in annoyance.

I had never tried to control two things at once but I felt up to the challenge. I slowed my breathing, closed my eyes for a few seconds and concentrated on Bucky's mechanical arm. I willed his fingers to lift one by one and they did so. Bucky glanced at me with worry before his last finger unlatched and he began to fall. Sam, who had been right behind me at that point, stopped trailing me and swooped down to grab Bucky.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I flew off into the horizon without ever glancing back.


	13. Yellow

**Hey everyone! This one's been a long time coming and I appreciate all your kind feedback and the fact that you've waited so patiently. I won't be updating as regularly but I do intend on finishing this story! I hope you enjoy!**

I flew for hours, occasionally dipping down into the forests, just to make sure they'd lose my trail if they were following. There was nowhere to hide once I was over the ocean, however, and I was constantly checking behind me. The view was unobstructed by any aircraft each time I turned and I wondered how long their electricity would be out. Had I zapped all the energy from their jets or had my father finally realized he no longer wanted to put up with me? Good Riddance, I imagined him saying to the others, I couldn't wait for her to leave. And the feeling was mutual, I had wanted to leave from the moment I set foot in that compound.

More hours passed and I could make out the cityscape of New York. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. I couldn't go back to my basement, that would be the first place they'd look. No, I'd have to go to the last place someone would expect. I had to go somewhere where no one knew me but first I'd have to see what information Adam had given them about me.

I landed on a beach and stopped to rest under a dock, trying not to draw anymore attention to myself than I already had. Iron man suits tend to do just that. The helmet unfolded from my face so I could breathe in the salty air. I closed my eyes and felt the residual electrical energy rush through my body once more. It was an exhilarating feeling and my stomach knotted. My head felt like it was floating in the clouds but I focused on the whirring numbers that lie beneath my eyelids. They began to slow and I reached out with my mind, focusing on the electric sensation coming from the nearby telephone wires.

Never before had I connected to the internet remotely but I figured now was the time to try. If I could drain an entire compounds worth of energy then I could surely connect to the internet. Imagining a bright light shooting from my head and over to the wires, I heard a crackling in my ears. I felt a strange surge in my forehead and knew I had connected. Yes! Images and numbers flashed through my mind's eye and it felt like I was floating past the bits and pieces of information. I started walking through the maze of data and came across the the UN's files.

Sure enough, as soon as I'd stepped foot inside, a large red box popped up in front of me. Inside was an urgent message. "Samantha Walsh escaped national security a week ago with the aid of Tony Stark. Shortly after, our informant, Adam Sterling failed to show at his debriefing. Any information about the two's whereabouts is to be reported to the director of operations."

My heart stalled. Adam hadn't shown up for a debriefing? Something terrible must have happened. And just like that, I could no longer focus on my hatred for him, instead my anger turned to concern. Sure, he had turned me in and my trust had been broken but I had once loved him. I couldn't make that go away, as much as I tried. Bucky's face flashed in my mind and I felt a twinge of guilt. How did I end up so torn between two men?

I logged out. Maybe Adam regretted turning me in? Maybe he was looking for me. I had to find out. The metal suit began to unhinge in various areas, allowing me to step out. The suit lay in the shade of the dock, half submerged in the water. I glanced down at my blood stained t-shirt but decided to ignore it, it's not like I had any change of clothes, and then I finally saw my mangled hand. The blood had finally stopped and dried thanks to the compression from the suit but you could still see bits of white poking out from the scarlet flesh. I winced at the sight of it but I only felt a dull, throbbing pain. I held it to my chest as I climbed the shore and made my way into civilization.

I stumbled onto a main street, people rushing by would occasionally slow down and stare at me. Not good. I shouldered my way into a busy shopping center, plucked a dusky green jacket off a hanger and buttoned it over my bloody shirt. I pulled down the sleeve so you could barely make out my crumpled fingers underneath. Shorting out the anti-theft device with a quick thought and surge of energy, I walked back out onto the sidewalk.

The streets were teeming with tourists who had come to Stark Tower in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Iron Man. I was, however, headed for the apartment buildings that stood in it's shadow. Adam had lived here during the time he had been watching me. Nobody payed me any attention as I entered the tall building amongst the crowds of people and after a long elevator ride to the top, I found myself in front of his door.

I almost knocked but pulled back my hand. I tried the handle. Unlocked. How strange, I thought to myself as I tiptoed inside, holding my breath. The place was an absolute mess. It was very uncharacteristic for Adam to be so untidy and it looked to me like there may have been a struggle. Papers were strewn across the floor and the window was open. There was a faint breeze blowing in and I shivered.

Something yellow caught my eye and I wandered towards it. It was Adam's thumb drive. I picked it up with my good hand and twirled it around in my fingers, squinting my eyes so as to see it more clearly. I had never notice it before but there was a small engraving that read Mecha. Intrigued, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the small device. I was walking past files again when I came across a strange one labeled "Sam, Please Read". It was dated and timed a few hours after I had escaped with my father. It was a video file.

I knew what I had to do and stepped into the file. It was almost like a dream, watching him in my head. He was sat at his desk, fear spread across his face. He was drumming his fingers on the wood impatiently. I could tell he was still in pain from his leg wound and felt slightly guilty. All of this for me and why?

"Sam," he started, "If you're watching this it means the Avengers Initiative Hasn't been able to find me and you've somehow escaped the Avengers. I want you to know that I'm very much safe and alive, although maimed thanks to your lovely redheaded friend." He mimed towards his leg with an odd sort of smile but continued, his big brown eyes boring into the camera. "You shouldn't have come back to the city. Hydra agents have been scouring the streets for you. You're very valuable to them, you see, You are your father's daughter. But we've spent enough time already, it'll be nice to talk to you in person again." He smirked and reached for the camera.

The screen in my head went dark and I was thrust back into the labyrinth of files. What did he mean by talking in person again? And who exactly was Hydra? I had heard of Hydra before and knew they were one of the Avenger's enemies but didn't know much else about them. I was completely confused. How did they find out about me? How did anyone find out about me? It's not like I shouted my father's name from the rooftop or had ever said anything nice about the man ever. We shared a resemblance, yes, but that could have been entirely coincidental and wasn't a good enough basis to pinpoint our relation. As far as I knew, my mother had always kept this secret between the two of us. Not even my uncle knew.

I touched the internet router that was lying on the ground. I closed my eyes and searched for Hydra, saying it over and over to myself until another strange website popped up. It was a conspiracy page of some sort by the looks of it. It was horribly designed with black text on a bright red background, making it difficult to read. I could feel my eyes squeeze tighter as I tried to focus on the small words. "Hydra, a terrorist group originating from nazi Germany, has not been connected to any attacks as of recently. Have the Avengers finally vanquished their impossible foes or have they disbanded of their own accord and moved onto something bigger?" The page questioned.

Could this be true? Had they really moved onto something bigger? And what did I have to do with it?

I was broken away from my thoughts, pulling my head from the thumb drive, when I heard a shuffling sound by the window. I looked up and realized I was not alone. I was surrounded by men in military uniforms emblazoned with a strange insignia of a skull headed octopus. None of them carried guns or any form of electronics. I was going to have to knuckle my way out of this one.

The first man who lunged at me I was easily able to sidestep and he stumbled straight into the wooden desk. A set of knuckles came crashing towards my face and I blocked with my bad arm out of instinct. It was enough to stop him from hitting my head but the sheer impact had forced my wounds to reopen and my nice new jacket began dripping with blood. I couldn't stop myself from letting out a horrific scream as the pain reemerged but I countered with my other fist, hitting the attacker squarely in the jaw. He recoiled but the other man had regained his composure and grabbed hold of my seeping wound along with my other arm.

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep the screams gurgling up from my throat as silent as possible. The other man smiled and unfurled his asp. He began swinging the heavy metal rod towards my stomach. Once, twice, three times. I could feel my ribs crunch with each blow. As soon as it had started however I was released from the assailant's grip and I crumpled to the floor. My first thought was to cradle my broken hand as I spit some blood onto Adam's white carpet before my attacker's feet. I looked up once more in defiance. If this was how it ended, so be it, bring it on.

A sharp stabbing in my neck told me this wasn't how it would end. It was only just beginning. I could hear the two men laughing and the room swirled. Someone kneeled in front of me, lifting my chin so that my eyes met theirs. But it wasn't one of the two men from before, it was Adam. Darkness began to crowd my vision and all I could make out was the sick grin he wore on his distorted face. "It's nice to see you again, Sam."


	14. Trapped

**Ok hopefully this version is better! Sorry it was all jumbled. Also, I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I'm currently working on an original novel and I'm terrible at multitasking. Thank you for all the lovely comments on the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one!**

I woke up somewhere dark. I could no longer make out the faint buzz of electricity that usually surrounded me. Odd, I thought. I struggled to my feet, gripping my broken ribs which had apparently been bandaged tightly while I had been unconscious. My hand had also been set in a hard cast. I began pacing the room in which I was being kept. It was a large room and it took me a while to find the wall. Or was it a wall?

I ran the fingers from my good hand over metal mesh. My eyes began to adjust to the darkness and I could tell I was stuck in a shoddily made cage of chicken wire and metal sheeting. A Faraday cage? I had made one back in middle school for a science fair. I was so screwed. I wouldn't be able to access any electronics from here.

Hydra soldiers were pacing outside the cage and there were lab desks against the wall occupied by scientists wearing the same insignia. Dim lights cast a sickly shade of green across the concrete floor and I realized that I was in a large warehouse of sorts. A catwalk stretched across and over the cage, loud footsteps clanging along the metal every now and then.

The cage was empty except for a metal dentist's chair that sat in the middle of the room and a very uncomfortable looking cot set up in the far corner covered by a thin gray blanket. The cage had a double entrance. There was a door followed by a smaller cage and then a door that led into the main room, presumably to keep me separated from any electricity.

I walked back to the middle of the cage and sat on the edge of the chair, watching the soldiers make their rounds. It took a few moments for one of them to realize I was awake. He pulled a receiver from his pocket and murmured into it, all while keeping his eyes trained on me.

Soft footsteps came closer and closer until Adam stood in front of the wire door. He limped slightly and shifted his weight to the opposite side, using one arm to lean against the cage. His crooked smile grated on my nerves as he simply studied me for a moment before speaking.

"I see you figured a way out of my bracelet." He clucked his tongue in a disapproving manner. "And you managed to mangle your hand in the process..." He trailed off.

"I was doing fine until your friends caved my ribs in."

"A little repayment for my leg." He shifted his bad leg forward and pulled up the hem of his pants showing me a still healing gash that was embedded with sutures.

"Sorry, not sorry?" And it was true, I no longer felt any sense of lingering emotions for Adam, only disdain. How had I fallen for this man, this truly disturbed individual? He never gave two shits about me and I had followed him around like a love sick puppy. I was angry with myself, more so than with him.

He pursed his lips before rolling his pant leg back down and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing in pure malice. He waved his hand at a few of the soldiers and the group of them entered into the first compartment, closing the metal door behind them. I stood up, ready for a fight.

"This will hurt less if you comply." Adam said nonchalantly as he followed behind them.

They entered through the last door and circled around me. The sound of the door closing replayed over and over in my head, it's resounding click sending waves of anxiety through my body. Last time I tried to fight my way out of the situation it didn't end so well and with no iron man suit in my control I was basically useless. I turned in circles, attempting to thwart any one who dared grab at me but there were too many of them. One soldier feigned an attack and as I turned to face him I was grabbed from behind. Strong arms enclosed around my already very sore waist and I was lifted up. I swung wildly and blindly at anything within my arm's reach but my wrists and ankles were quickly restrained by the other soldiers and I was placed on the cold metal chair, their hands replaced by metal cuffs. A thick leather strap secured my head tightly to the table. He took a syringe from his pocket and slid it into the vein of my good arm, injecting me with the all too familiar burn of the neuroserum.

The soldiers retreated as I struggled to break free of the metal but the cuffs were too tight to slip out of. Slowly, they exited and I was left with Adam. He drummed his fingers on the chair in a happy rhythm, smiling to himself while ensuring the forehead strap was tight enough. He snapped his fingers and a young woman wearing a doctor's coat entered the cage, pushing a cart with various medical equipment spread on top. Behind her, a man pushed an EKG monitor and a saline drip.

I fidgeted as he placed the sticky electrodes on my forehead and temples but I couldn't take my eyes off of the shiny scalpel laying in plain sight.

"What the hell are you doing?" I sputtered but Adam simply ignored me.

The woman held out a surgical gown and he placed it on his shoulders, allowing her to tie the strings behind his back. He slid blue gloves over his hands and walked forward with some orange looking liquid on gauze. The cold liquid shocked me as he scrubbed at the center of my forehead. He would scowl down at me very now and then as I scrunched my face, trying to avoid the scrubbing.

A prick in my arm told me the saline had been injected. The beeping of the monitor echoed in my ears and my heart began to race, causing it to beep faster. No anesthesia, no pain killers. What exactly was he planning to do? Surely he didn't need that scalpel.

My stomach lurched as he picked up the scalpel I had been eyeing all along. He turned and held it out in front of me so that I could see it glint in the green light. A wicked smile formed on his face as my eyes widened in terror.

"No." I gasped, barely able to get the word out.

"It's just a simple skull implant, Sam, you'll live, trust me."

And with that, he steadied his arm on my shoulder and placed the scalpel to my forehead. I could hear it scraping along my skull, reverberating inside my head. It stung and burned like fire, reminiscent of the pain I had felt in my hand when I removed the bracelet. He paused for a moment, only long enough to shove a rubber bit into my mouth. I felt my skin peel from the bone, blood dripping down my nose and near eyes. The woman would occasionally blot at it now and again.

I winced, tears welling in my eyes. I wasn't going to scream, I wouldn't. Instead I clenched my teeth, biting down onto the rubber bit as hard as I could, gritting through the intense pain. I wasn't going to show any weakness. I could do this, I thought.

Adam held a strange thin triangular piece of metal with a hole in the middle in front of my eyes before placing it on the bone. He picked up a very short screw and then a drill of sorts. Pain. I felt like I was dying as my cranium vibrated and I felt the screw pierce and break the bone. I couldn't hold it in any longer, it was just too much. I screamed and made low animalistic noises as he continued to slowly drill into my head. Tears fell down my face and began to soak my shirt and rib bandages. I was so cold and the room was spinning. The lights seemed ten times darker than they had been before and all the noise seemed so distant.

I fell down the black hole of unconsciousness but I wasn't alone.


	15. Switch

A familiar metallic voice called my name. I wasn't sure who it was or where it came from but it was somehow always with me, even now as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You and I are the same." It answered.

"How so?"

"We share a common enemy, Sam. We both hate Tony Stark."

"I'm beginning to think I hate Adam instead..." I corrected as I continued to float in the black void.

"They didn't come after you, did they?" It nudged.

"Pretty sure I beat them senseless."

"Or they just didn't care."

It stung, those words. I couldn't help but agree, maybe it was right. My father must have been happy to see me leave. I had only been a security risk.

"Help me destroy them, Sam."

"But I don't want to destroy them. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired."

I snapped back to the real world, the smell of blood hung in the air. My skull continued to vibrate from the rotating of the screws. Small flakes of bone flew from my head, clinking against the metal dental chair. I couldn't scream anymore. My throat was burning and the only noise that escaped my lips were raspy puffs of air.

I felt a deep seated rage well up inside my stomach when I rolled my eyes up to look at Adam. He met my gaze for a moment, smiling, then continued his work, ignoring me. But the rage didn't end with him. I was angry at everyone. Adam, my father, even Bucky. The rage that swirled inside me was almost unnatural. I felt it more than I ever had, this sick bubbling lava in the pit of my belly, rising up into my throat.

My head throbbed to a dizzying rhythm, darkness fading over my eyes once more. I felt sick. My core was on fire and the black turned to a dark red haze. I felt a strange ping in my forehead, a small jolt of electricity that startled me out of my thoughts. The voice grew louder, booming in my ears this time. It was commanding and sinister.

"We are one, Sam. We will take down the Avengers together."

I pushed the rage back down. I was being unreasonable. I didn't want to destroy the Avengers. I didn't even want to destroy my father, as much as I couldn't stand him. No. There was something strange going on. This anger I felt was artificial and wrong. It felt like bugs were crawling around inside my brain and I wished I could pluck them out from underneath my skin. My head continued to spin.

"Ah, yes." It said, "I've been without form for too long."

My eyes fluttered open. The room was cold and I was still strapped to the chair only Adam had vanished and I was alone inside the room. The cage had been disassembled and all that remained was a strange looking metal coil in the corner of the room. A Tesla coil? There was a dull ache in my skull and my throat burned. I knew that if I opened my mouth to speak, nothing would come out.

The lights shut off, one by one and I could no longer see my body. There was buzzing in the air as I heard a multitude of switches being flipped. I fidgeted. What was he planning to do? What was wrong with me and who did the voice belong to? Where were the damn Avengers?

"How you feeling, Sam?" I heard Adam call from an intercom

"Fuck you." I wheezed, the rubber bit still protecting my tongue so my words came out all jumbled.

"Might want to bite down for this one." He chuckled under his breath.

I could feel the energy ramping up, like a wave ebbing and flowing, growing stronger. Energy washed over my body and my stomach tightened in elation. Stupid move on Adam's part, I thought to myself. Without the Faraday cage in place I could reach out to the other electronics and send a distress signal. I closed my eyes, searching for a connection to the internet but something stopped me.

The last switch clicked into place. A zap of electricity hit my body so hard that I was slammed against the back of the chair. My muscles tightened and contracted in spasms. It warmed my body, starting at my toes and working it's way up to my head. The metal implant in my forehead pulsed with power. There was a whirring mechanical noise ringing in my ears.

My hands twitched but I wasn't moving them. Then my eyes blinked. I swore it wasn't me. Maybe this was too much power, I had never absorbed so much before. Maybe my body couldn't handle it.

"No, I'm in control now." It said but my lips were the ones moving. My voice was metallic and digital. I had no control. It was like looking through a foggy window, feeling the sensations of my body moving but somehow numb at the same time.

The coil shut off and the lights slowly faded back on. Footsteps sounded on the catwalk above me and trailed down the stairs. I was surrounded by Hydra agents, tranquilizer guns drawn and aimed at me. The crowd parted and Adam stepped forward. He had parted with the bloody doctor's coat but not with his crooked grin.

"Sam?" He questioned as he came closer.

I tried to scream at him, tell him off for being such a dick but nothing came out. My mouth never opened, no muscle movement whatsoever. I heard laughing inside my head a midst my thoughts but it wasn't mine.

"Ultron?" He asked before lowering his head, his eyes never leaving mine.

The corners of my mouth tugged upwards into a smile and a hoarse laughing erupted from my throat. My screaming echoed inside my head but nobody could hear me. Only laughter resounded off the concrete walls.


End file.
